MIAMI GARDENS, FL - OCTOBER 12: Head Coach Mike McDaniel of the Miami Dolphins enters the field during player introductions before the game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Miami Dolphins, on Sunday October 12, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL.Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire NFL, American Football Herren, USA OCT 12 Chargers at Dolphins EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon25101200181
MIAMI GARDENS, FL - OCTOBER 12: Head Coach Mike McDaniel of the Miami Dolphins enters the field during player introductions before the game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Miami Dolphins, on Sunday October 12, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL.Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire NFL, American Football Herren, USA OCT 12 Chargers at Dolphins EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon25101200181
Jan 30, 2026, 4:10 AM CUT
Major Reason Behind Mike McDaniel and Jesse Minter’s Snub Revealed
The Cleveland Browns' coaching search came to an end, but it came with a price.
Big candidates like Mike McDaniel pulled out of the second interview. Even Jesse Minter passed on the Browns' head coaching job. Why? Better opportunities, as reported by NFL insider Terry Pluto.
"In some cases, it’s because they know they are not going to be hired. I believe that was the case with Mike McDaniel, the former Miami coach. He also cancelled his second interview with Buffalo. Jesse Minter cancelled his interview with the Browns when it became clear to him that Baltimore was ready to offer him the Ravens job."
Both of them got a much better team than the browns. Miike McDaniel is getting the chance to work with talent like Justin Herbert, Kimani Vidal, Ladd McConkey, etc. whihc is way ahead of the players Browns had to offer to the former Miami Dolphins head coach.
So has been the case with Jesse Minter as well. He ditched the Browns' head coach job to work with MVP Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, etc. Grant Udinski also pulled out of the Browns head coach candidacy after the 2nd interview.
Sources said that he did that because he wanted to pursue the Bills' HC position.
Since Joe Brady took that, Udinski agreed to a new contract with the Jaguars that includes a raise for the 2026 season, as per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Browns' interview process has also been ditched.
Big News on The Browns' Interview Process
As per multiple reports, the Browns had a series of tests that a candidate must pass for the head coach job. They said that the candidates had to take personality tests, fill out questionnaires, write essays, and complete homework assignments.
Many thought this was the reason big names like Mike McDaniel left. But Aditi Kinkhabwala of CBS Sports ditched this news.
She said that no candidate was asked to write a full essay to apply for the job, but rather more like a five-question questionnaire, intended to gather concise written responses to key topics.
“There is clearly a lot of misinformation out there,” Kinkhabwala said on 92.3 The Fan. “I have been told that no candidate was asked to write an essay to apply for this job. The way I was told it, there was a five-question questionnaire.
That sort of took care of a lot of things, saved a bit of time. No, I’m applying to Harvard, and I need to write a personal statement essay. However, the Browns have been very thorough.
Written by
Reyansh Dubey
Edited by
Oajaswini Prabhu