In the high-stakes world of NFL free agency, most coaches use spreadsheets and film sessions to pitch their targets. Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel apparently prefers a more “Old West” approach.
According to Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz, McDaniel took his wishlist to a literal level this offseason. Instead of just sending a text, McDaniel printed out actual “Wanted” posters for running back Keaton Mitchell and fullback Alec Ingold, then plastered them over Hortiz’s office walls.
“Mike put up a wanted reward for a couple players,” Hortiz said during a recent team update. “So he’s gonna owe a little bit of money to us, you know, since we delivered on both of them.”
#Chargers OC Mike McDaniel printed out wanted posters for Keaton Mitchell and Alec Ingold, and put the posters up on GM Joe Hortiz’s wall pic.twitter.com/6e1HdV05eY
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) April 17, 2026
The strategy worked perfectly. The Chargers officially signed both Mitchell and Ingold in March, reuniting McDaniel with his former Miami Dolphins fullback and adding one of the league’s most explosive young runners.
Mitchell showed exactly why he was “wanted” during a Week 15 matchup in 2025 against the Cincinnati Bengals. In that 24-0 shutout victory, Mitchell gashed the defense for 66 rushing yards on just eight carries, averaging a massive 8.2 yards per touch. He finished his 2025 campaign with 341 rushing yards on 59 carries, maintaining a staggering 5.8 yards-per-carry average for the season.
Meanwhile, Ingold remains the gold standard for lead blockers. In his final season with the Dolphins in 2025, he played all 17 games, providing the muscle for a top-five rushing attack while chipping in eight receptions for 52 yards.
By landing both players, the Chargers front office has given McDaniel the exact tools he needs to revamp a run game that struggled to protect Justin Herbert last year. Now that Hortiz has “captured” the targets, the only question left is exactly how much that “wanted reward” is going to cost McDaniel’s wallet.
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