NFL coach Mike McDaniel is the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. To start his coaching career in the NFL, McDaniel was Mike and Kyle Shanahan’s longstanding assistant at the Denver Broncos. McDaniel has focused on offence for most of his coaching career. Between 2017 and 2021, he worked as an assistant coach with the Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, and Washington Redskins. McDaniel has participated in two Super Bowls, one with the Falcons in 2017 and the other with the 49ers in 2020.

McDaniel worked with the 49ers for five seasons, largely as the run game coordinator. In 2021, he was promoted to the role of offensive coordinator for the 49ers. The 49ers second appearance in three seasons in the NFC Championship Game marked the end of his tenure. McDaniel departed the franchise to take over as the Dolphins’ head coach.

In his first regular-season game as head coach, McDaniel led the Dolphins to a 20-7 victory over the New England Patriots on September 11, 2022. Since Nick Saban in 2005, McDaniel is the only Dolphins head coach to have a victory in his first game in command of Miami. He also made team history by being the first head coach to win in the opening game of a new season. McDaniel holds a Yale history degree. He is mixed-race; his mother is Caucasian and his father is African American.