When it comes to Justin Herbert in 2026, Mike McDaniel said portion control will be key.
The new Chargers offensive coordinator fielded questions from media members on Tuesday for about an hour after he officially accepted a job on Jim Harbaugh’s staff earlier in the week, and he revealed he has a bit of a unique plan for Los Angeles’ star quarterback that involves actually reducing some of his workload to bring out his best.
Mike McDaniel met with reporters on Tuesday for the first time since taking the Chargers’ OC job. AP
“I think not relying too heavily on Justin’s ability to do above and beyond, I think, is critical to maximize those types of opportunities,” McDaniel said.
“That’ll be one of the first things that we’ll try to do is take a little off his plate so that he is free to do that when his greatness is required.”
Herbert started 16 games for the Bolts in the 2025 season, and logged 3,727 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He added 498 yards and two more scores on the ground as well.
But the 27-year-old had his worst performance of the year when LA needed him the most — in the team’s playoff opener against New England. He threw for just 159 yards, lost a fumble and took six sacks in a crushing 16-3 loss.
During McDaniel’s mid-afternoon press conference, he appeared to believe the key to avoiding those kinds of clunkers under his watch will be to have Herbert occasionally drop the Superman cape.
Justin Herbert starred for the Chargers all year, but floundered in the team’s lone playoff game. AP
“There’s a lot of incredible plays that Justin has made,” McDaniel said. “He’s firmly capable, and sometimes as a coach you can rely upon that a little too much. There’s schematic ways to get completions that maybe all three quarterbacks on your roster would be capable of doing.
“Easier completions, not putting so much — it can be taxing over time for a player to necessitate an incredible play too often to be able to score points and win football games. So, you try to take it off of him by creating some low-cost, high-reward offense that he’s firmly capable of doing but maybe a player of lesser talent would be capable of doing as well.”
Mike McDaniel accepted the Chargers’ offensive coordinator job on Monday. AP
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McDaniel told reporters he’s already spoken with Herbert, and he said they both came away from the conversation “geeked for the future and the possibilities that it brings.”
He also raved about the quarterback’s potential.
“You have a competitive player that each and every year is trying to get better at his craft,” McDaniel said. “He hasn’t neared the ceiling to what he’s capable of. He can make every throw.”
Mike McDaniel previously coached the Miami Dolphins. AP
Justin Herbert’s made the Pro Bowl twice in his career. Getty Images
As for why he took the gig, Herbert, of course, was a large reason, but McDaniel said it was Harbaugh who swayed him.
The 42-year-old offensive guru said the Chargers head coach “wasn’t trying to sell me anything,” and he felt fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from the veteran sideline manager.
“The opportunity to work with coach Harbaugh,” he said, “that was too good to pass up.”
Now that he’s on board, one of McDaniel’s first orders of business will be diving into Herbert’s game tape — and then, clearly, figuring out a way to help the quarterback share his meals with others.
