We know that former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler had a falling out before both were sacked on Halloween night.
Following their firings, speculation mounted that the two were split on whether to pursue veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason. McDaniels was in favor of it. Garoppolo’s injury history worried Ziegler. In the end, McDaniels prevailed over Ziegler.
To say that the signing of Garoppolo did not go well for Vegas would be an understatement. Following the dismissal of McDaniels and Ziegler, interim head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Champ Kelly chose to bench him in favor of rookie Aidan O’Connell.
Garoppolo is set to finish his first and only season with the Silver and Black with seven touchdowns and nine interceptions in six starts while missing significant time due to injury. McDaniels, like other elements of his brief career in Southern Nevada, proved to be incorrect in this regard.
Hondo Carpenter of Sports Illustrated, a respected Raiders insider, just wrote a fantastic long-form piece on the issue between McDaniels and Ziegler.
Carpenter said in the piece that Ziegler was a huge fan of Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud in the run-up to the 2023 NFL Draft.
“Dave considered him a generational talent, and Kelly adored him.” Ziegler had done his homework. “He was well aware of the cost of moving up to No. 1 and even No. 2,” a source told Carpenter.
According to the source, the expense of moving up to No. 1 overall was too great for both McDaniels and Ziegler. However, the former was unwilling to advance to the second round for Stroud. He preferred Bryce Young, who was selected first overall by the Carolina Panthers after a trade with the Chicago Bears.
According to the source, the expense of moving up to No. 1 overall was too great for both McDaniels and Ziegler. However, the former was unwilling to advance to the second round for Stroud. “He felt the cost was cheap, and he was willing to do almost anything that didn’t include Maxx Crosby,” the report stated.
In the end, McDaniels overruled Ziegler, just as he had done when signing Garoppolo in the first place back in March. Ziegler preferred fellow veteran Jacoby Brissett, with whom he had a relationship dating back to their days together with the New England Patriots. Brissett ended up becoming the first overall pick of the draft.
We have no idea how things would have turned out behind the scenes. Were the Houston Texans willing to trade their second-round pick? Given how much their brass adored Stroud, it’s an open question. What we do know is that Ziegler was aware of the expense — most likely from conversations with Texans — and was prepared to act.After a few months, Stroud is in the midst of a remarkable rookie season. He is coming off a month in which he was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month as well as AFC Offensive Rookie of the Month. Throughout his first 11 NFL starts, Stroud has shattered numerous records.
One could even argue that Stroud is a darkhorse candidate for the NFL MVP award. Meanwhile, Young has struggled with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions in 10 starts for a one-win Panthers squad that recently fired head coach Frank Reich after only 11 games.
Returning to the Raiders. Antonio Pierce is their interim head coach, while the aforementioned Kelly is in charge of the front office, also on an interim basis.
Vegas is 5-7 on the season and fighting for a spot in the AFC Playoffs coming into Week 13. Garoppolo has been demoted to the benchwarmer position. There is currently no plan in place to carry the impoverished organization forward.
Mark Davis is one of the most embattled owners in professional sports, and he will be the final decision-maker when a new hierarchy is established following the 2023 season.
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