Mike McDaniel update causes huge problems for Browns head coach search
The NFL just never seems to slow down. Few were surprised when the Cleveland Browns fired HC Kevin Stefanski, but John Harbaugh being fired by the Baltimore Ravens shortly after was a shock. One day, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in the playoffs, the next, Mike Tomlin is resigning from coaching the team.
Just copy and paste the Tomlin, Steelers story for Sean McDermott and the Buffalo Bills.
Tuesday afternoon, the wild turns of the NFL continued for the Browns. With six candidates set for second interviews in the team's head coach search, including most of them scheduled, Mike McDaniel shocked many when he pulled his name from consideration for the job:
Former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel informed the Browns he's withdrawing from their head coaching search ahead of a scheduled in-person interview Wednesday, per sources.
- Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 20, 2026
McDaniel - who is still a candidate for the Ravens and Raiders HC vacancies - is interviewing for the... pic.twitter.com/qirkrsvbWX
For Cleveland's search, McDaniel's decision causes, potentially, a threefold issue. First, McDaniel has head coaching experience and may have been hired for the job. Second, the public nature of the decision the day before his second interview will continue the concern about the Browns past still haunting them in the present. Third, McDaniel was set to be the first of two minority candidate interviews in Cleveland. The Rooney Rule must be satisfied before the team can hire its next head coach.
Now, only one of the final five candidates fulfills the minority candidate interview, Nate Scheelhaase, which means the Browns must conduct an in-person interview with a candidate who clearly is not at the top of their list or likely to have a chance at the job.
Scheelhaase cannot interview until Monday, January 26th at the earliest.
The timing, while interviewing with the Los Angeles Chargers, raises eyebrows. Was he guaranteed the offensive coordinator position there if he didn't get a head coaching job? Will McDaniel also pull out of either the Las Vegas Raiders or Ravens head coach searches as well?
For now, Cleveland's decision makers have a lot of choices to make and a very short amount of time to set things in motion. Any hope of a proper, professional, and drama-free coaching search has now officially gone out the window.
Why do you think McDaniel withdrew from the Browns search? Who do you think the team will add to the interview process?