HENDERSON, NEVADA – When Josh McDaniels was hired by the Las Vegas Raiders in January 2022, he stated that he had learnt from his first term as an NFL head coach.
McDaniels’ record was actually worse the second time around than it was with the Denver Broncos in 2009 and 2010, and the Raiders dismissed McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler late Tuesday night.
McDaniels was the first non-interim coach in Super Bowl history to be dismissed by two teams before the end of his second season.
“After much thought about what the Raiders need to move forward, I have decided to part ways with Josh and Dave,” Davis said in an e-mail. “I want to thank them both for their hard work and wish them and their families nothing but the best.”
The Raiders announced that linebackers coach Antonio Pierce will serve as interim head coach. His first game will be against the Giants at home on Sunday. From 2005 until 2009, he was a member of the New York Knicks.
Las Vegas also announced that assistant general manager Champ Kelly will serve as acting general manager.
After the season, the squad will look for replacements for McDaniels and Ziegler.
McDaniels was the Raiders’ play caller, so offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi could step in.
When Davis hired McDaniels, the veteran Patriots offensive coordinator, he planned to extend New England’s success westward. Ziegler worked in New England’s front office, and the former John Carroll University teammates transformed the Raiders into the Patriots West by signing multiple players with ties to that franchise.
Despite taking over a team that made the playoffs in 2021 before falling to the Cincinnati Bengals in the wild-card round, Davis’s desired success never materialized in Las Vegas.
McDaniels’ Raiders finished 6-11 in 2022 and are 3-5 this season for a.360 winning percentage. At Denver, he was 11-17 (.393 percentage).
Nonetheless, Davis has stood by McDaniels, and the timing of his removal is unexpected. McDaniels spoke with the media early Tuesday afternoon and was set to do another press conference Wednesday morning to discuss the upcoming game against the Giants.
But McDaniels was up against certain obstacles. Since last season, the Raiders have failed to score at least 20 points in eight of their previous nine games, and scoring is his strength. The only game in which Las Vegas surpassed that mark was a fourth-quarter safety in a 21-17 victory over the Patriots on Oct. 15.
Perhaps just as detrimental was the public discontent displayed by several of his players. Davante Adams, the team’s star wide receiver, has been vocal about his misgivings about the franchise’s future since the offseason. When questioned about what would spark the offense after Monday night’s loss to the Detroit Lions, running back Josh Jacobs answered, “I don’t know, that ain’t my job.
McDaniels was hired after the 2021 season whenJosh McDaniels decided not to keep interim coach Rich Bisaccia on as a full-time coach despite leading the team to a stunning playoff run
.
McDaniels and Ziegler were bold in their first offseason, trading first and second-round picks for Adams, signing defensive end Chandler Jones to a large free agent contract, and extending contracts for Derek Carr, Maxx Crosby, Darren Waller, and Hunter Renfrow.
However, those moves did not produce beneficial results on the field, as McDaniels was unable to develop the high-powered attack Davis had envisioned when he hired him and struggled to win games.
The Raiders lost five games after taking double-digit leads, including a 20-0 halftime lead in his debut.
