Why Mike McDaniel is 'forever indebted' to Commanders' Dan Quinn for helping Dolphins coach through sobriety

Daniel Mader

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Why Mike McDaniel is 'forever indebted' to Commanders' Dan Quinn for helping Dolphins coach through sobriety image

There are plenty of well-known close relationships between NFL head coaches, from former assistants who landed bigger jobs to connections formed during playing days.

The relationship between Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel and Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn, however, is fairly unique. Both were employed by the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 to 2016, with Quinn as head coach and McDaniel as an assistant.

Recently, McDaniel opened up about how Quinn helped steer him toward sobriety in 2016, saying he’s “forever indebted” to Washington’s head coach.

Here’s what to know about McDaniel and Quinn’s relationship, and what the Dolphins coach shared about his sobriety journey.

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Mike McDaniel-Dan Quinn relationship

McDaniel and Quinn were both members of the Falcons' coaching staff in the 2015 and 2016 seasons, including a Super Bowl appearance in the 2016 campaign before ultimately falling to the New England Patriots. On those Atlanta staffs, Quinn was the head coach, while McDaniel was an offensive assistant.

In the years since, McDaniel has gone on to become head coach of the Dolphins, while Quinn has taken the Commanders' top job following his departure from Atlanta. But it took until Week 11 of the 2025 season for McDaniel and Quinn to meet as head coaches.

Leading up to that meeting, McDaniel shared some insight into his relationship with Quinn, saying that he's "forever indebted" to the coach who helped guide him to sobriety.

"Dan Quinn holds a special place in my heart and my career," McDaniel said. "I think he was there at ground zero when I became sober and supported me and gave me the opportunity to continue what I love to do. So for that, I'll be forever indebted to him.

"I think it speaks to the type of leader he is -- I know he really touches every player he coaches from a true, authentic standpoint. I think the Commanders are very fortunate to have him."

Quinn also commented on his pride for McDaniel in his journey to sobriety.

"For all of us, when there's an issue, sometimes you don't want to let someone you're with know," Quinn said, per ESPN. "You're counting on them, they're counting on you. But leaning in is the biggest strength you can do. In that space, all you want to do is help and give support, and then the real work begins for the person in that spot.

"That's exactly what Mike did. He said this is what I'm working on and how I'm going to do it, and that's when the real work begins. Part of the reason I'm so proud of him is this is something that's happening and this is how I'm going to deal with it, and I'm going to stay connected to that.... It takes a lot of guts to do that, and that's one of the reasons I'm real proud of him."

Mike McDaniel sobriety

McDaniel has outspoken about his past struggles with alcohol.

In 2023, McDaniel said in a USA Today story that "everyone's always said the same thing about me: how talented I am, how smart I am," but with the feeling that he was "sabotaging myself" with drinking.

He shared that Quinn had pulled him aside in January 2016 to confront him about his drinking.

Per ESPN, it was on Jan. 4, 2016, that Quinn, Kyle Shanahan and Raheem Morris all "sat McDaniel down and told him they believed he was drinking too often." According to the story, McDaniel had been fired from his job as an offensive assistant with the Houston Texans in 2008 partially due to his drinking. On Houston offensive staffs during McDaniel's tenure, Shanahan was an offensive coordinator.

Additionally, per "USA Today," McDaniel had "overslept a couple times" before being let go by the Texans, while "bottles of cheap vodka" were found under his desk during his time with the Cleveland Browns.

McDaniel spent a total of 865 days out of the NFL after being let go by the Texans in 2008 before Shanahan brought him onto his offensive staff with Washington in 2011, a staff that also famously included Sean McVay and Matt LaFleur.

Per USA Today, Quinn helped connect McDaniel with a team psychologist in Atlanta, and he set up around a "three-week stay at an in-patient treatment facility." There, doctors diagnosed McDaniel with depression, which led to his dependency on alcohol.

“For the first time in my life,” McDaniel said of Quinn and the Falcons' coaches in 2023, per USA Today. "I had men stand behind me and say, ‘Hey, you’re not alone, dude.’ ”

Per ESPN, McDaniel said that he had to relay Quinn's message about his drinking to his wife, Katie, which "drove him to change his life."

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When did Mike McDaniel's sobriety start?

Mike McDaniel has been sober since January 2016, when Quinn and other Falcons coaches spoke to him about his drinking, per ESPN. In 2023, he said he has "zero desire" to drink again, per USA Today.

Nearly a decade after his conversation with Quinn, in November 2025, the Dolphins coach opened up about his connection with Quinn.

When did Mike McDaniel and Dan Quinn coach together?

Dan Quinn became the Falcons' head coach in February 2015, a role he held until October 2020.

In Quinn's first two years as head coach, 2015 and 2016, McDaniel was on his staff as an offensive assistant. In 2016, the Falcons reached the Super Bowl with both coaches on staff.

Kyle Shanahan was McDaniel's offensive coordinator in Atlanta, and when Shanahan got the 49ers' head coaching job in 2017, he brought McDaniel with him as a run game coordinator, later promoting him to San Francisco's offensive coordinator.

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