Midway through the Josh McDaniels-Dave Ziegler tandem’s second season, Mark Davis is pulling the plug. The Raiders are firing their head coach and general manager, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports. The Raiders have since announced the firings.
This comes after an ugly Monday-night performance in Detroit, but it represents a stunningly early end for a pair given the keys in 2022. This late-night firing marks McDaniels’ second in-season ouster; the Broncos fired him late in his second season back in 2010. The Raiders are planning to name Antonio Pierce as their interim HC, Schefter reports. The Raiders hired Pierce, a former Super Bowl-winning linebacker, as linebackers coach in 2022. To fill in for Ziegler, the Raiders are promoting assistant GM Champ Kelly, per ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez.
“After much thought about what the Raiders need to move forward, I have decided to part ways with Josh and Dave,” Davis said in a statement. “I want to thank them both for their hard work and wish them and their families nothing but the best.”
While the ex-Patriot staffers have not shown indications this operation will turn around anytime soon, this still represents a shocking decision. Davis signed off on a six-year contract for McDaniels during the 2022 hiring period; the Raiders are obligated to pay the former Patriots OC through the 2027 season. McDaniels had operated patiently in the years following his decision to spurn the Colts, being selective on the interview circuit. But he chose the Raiders as his return vehicle; that choice backfired.
Although news of these abrupt ousters emerged just after midnight, Schefter adds Davis began giving indications late Tuesday he planned to fire the second-year HC-GM combo. Though, this certainly qualifies as a news dump. Considering the confidence Davis displayed in this power duo, the timing of this announcement probably should not surprise. The Raiders are set to reboot once again. Davis gave McDaniels a vote of confidence around this time last year, but the product has not improved.
This likely closes the curtain on McDaniels’ head coaching career, and when his decision to backtrack on his Colts commitment is factored in, the successful New England play-caller is poised to go down as one of this century’s least successful HCs. Both McDaniels and Ziegler arrived from New England, with the latter also in Denver during McDaniels’ infamous stint there. McDaniels, 47, is now 20-33 as a head coach. The three-time Super Bowl-winning coordinator does not boast a basement-level record, but this firing comes 13 years after the Broncos canned him after a messy videotaping scandal. Ziegler, 46, joined McDaniels during that second Broncos season but spent eight years with the Patriots prior to coming to Vegas.
The Raiders, who fell to 3-5 after their Monday loss to the Lions, made some curious decisions this offseason to reach this point. Most notably, they signed ex-McDaniels Patriots charge Jimmy Garoppolo and did not bring in a higher-end backup — despite the former 49ers starter having become the NFL’s most injury-prone quarterback. The Raiders met with the draft’s top five QB prospects but waited until Round 4 to make a selection, tabbing Aidan O’Connell. Brian Hoyer, the NFL’s second-oldest active QB, has been Garoppolo’s top backup. The Raiders gave Hoyer a two-year deal that came almost entirely guaranteed; the 38-year-old passer considered retirement this offseason.
Las Vegas made a surprising push to the playoffs after its last in-season HC divorce, which came just two years ago. Leaked emails forcing Jon Gruden out drew considerable controversy, with Davis voicing frustration at the leak — which came about during a Dan Snyder investigation — before ultimately moving on. Despite interim HC Rich Bisaccia leading the team to a 10-7 finish and a narrow wild-card loss in Cincinnati, Davis opted to start over with McDaniels and Ziegler. The Raiders have gone 9-16 since.
This Raiders edition ranks 30th in DVOA (30th on offense, 31st on defense), with McDaniels’ offensive acumen not leading to Year 2 growth. The Raiders largely left their offensive line alone from last season as well. Even after the group delivered surprisingly capable work and powered Josh Jacobs to a rushing title, concerns about the quintet emerged before last season. Through eight games, Jacobs — whom the Raiders franchise-tagged and handed a rare raise after the reigning rushing champion skipped training camp — is averaging 3.1 yards per carry. Hunter Renfrow exceeded 1,000 yards in 2021 and signed a two-year, $32MM extension in 2022. The slot receiver became an afterthought in McDaniels’ offense, sitting on 92 receiving yards this season.
Perhaps most notably, Davante Adams‘ production has dipped from 2022. After the Raiders traded their 2022 first- and second-round picks for Adams, he produced an All-Pro season with ex-college teammate Derek Carr at the controls. The ex-Packer star has not eclipsed 60 receiving yards in a game since Week 4. Adams, 30, displayed visible frustration — after weeks of griping about his lack of opportunities — on the sideline during the Raiders’ double-digit loss in Week 8. Adams is not believed to have requested a trade before Tuesday’s deadline, but the longtime Aaron Rodgers target is trapped in limbo after anchoring three straight playoff-bound Packer teams’ receiving corps.
Davis is believed to have played a key role in McDaniels’ decision to bench Carr before Week 17 last year. Carr then left the team and prepared for an opportunity elsewhere. While Carr rarely flirted with top-tier QB status during his nine-year run as the Raiders’ starter, his level of play worsened under McDaniels. The Raiders used the escape hatch in Carr’s 2022 extension to cut him, doing so after the passer wielded his no-trade clause. Garoppolo signed a three-year, $72.75MM deal soon after. Garoppolo’s QBR number dropped to 30th after finishing 10-for-21 with 126 yards Monday.
In addition to Garoppolo, the McDaniels and Ziegler loaded up the Raiders’ roster with ex-Patriots. Hoyer, Jakobi Meyers, Jakob Johnson, Brandon Bolden, Jermaine Eluemunor and Justin Herron comprise the ex-Pats wing on offense. While fewer former New England presences reside on Patrick Graham‘s defense, the Chandler Jones fiasco obviously did not help the since-fired bigwigs. The Raiders gave Jones a three-year, $51MM deal in 2022. Not only did the former Patriots draftee and Cardinals All-Pro perform poorly for most of last season, the strange saga that led him off the team this fall stripped a starter off the roster.
They of two playoff appearances since Super Bowl XXXVII, the Raiders are at a crossroads yet again. Davis will be paying two coaches for the foreseeable future, though offset language — should McDaniels land elsewhere, perhaps for a third Patriots stint — could help on this front. But the decision to give the keys to two ex-Patriot staffers will go down as a tremendous misstep for Davis. This also continues to bury the Bill Belichick coaching tree. Aside from Bill O’Brien‘s Texans tenure, none of the legendary Patriot coach’s assistants have been able to win consistently. And O’Brien did well to torpedo his Houston run during his memorable stint in the HC/GM role.
The Raiders gave Pierce his first NFL coaching job. Before coming to Nevada, the 45-year-old assistant was on Herm Edwards’ Arizona State staff. The former Pro Bowl linebacker was the head coach of Long Beach Poly High from 2014-17. The Raiders hired Kelly last year, bringing him over from Chicago. Kelly also was with the Broncos during McDaniels’ tenure, but he stayed longer than McDaniels or Ziegler. The well-respected front office staffer spent seven seasons with the Bears, finishing his run as the team’s assistant director of player personnel.
Odd that something could be shocking and yet not surprising, isn’t it?
Nailed it like a carpenter. Well done.
It’s akin to my personal motto: “I wouldn’t be surprised if I were struck by lightning… Shocked? Yes. Surprised? No.”
It’s shocking because Mark Davis is cheap so it had to be really bad
The Bears need to take a look at this and follow suit.
shocking. lightning. mark davis. what are you guys trying to manifest?
Raiders need a new owner too
New owner but same haircut
A new coach will do. Mark Davis isn’t a meddling owner. He lets the coach coach. That’s what we want.
Um, sure, whatever you say.
And smashes hot chicks
That was a ignorant comment.
I think Dark Side commented the way he did because you said something a bit silly. Mark Davis has had team control for 11.5 seasons and has gone through 8 head coaches.
Seriously, it was Davis’ decision to bench and get rid of Carr. Sounds like meddling to me….
The writing was on the wall.
Wow! Surprised they found the cash to do this. Honestly though, this should have been done last season. Never sad to see the Raiders suck. LV never should have signed Jimmy G, not that is the only problem, culture and scouting go a long way…..Raiders seem to continue to ignore this fact.
What’s more likely…
That this fraud who has been exposed more than once now will never coach again?
or
He’ll still be hired as the next HC of the Patriots one day (soon-ish)?
I edited my original comment above. The second part was “I wonder how closely Kraft is watching this”.
In all seriousness, McDaniels could get hired as a coordinator after a year or two. Franchises will take anyone after enough time has passed, and he has experience running offenses that ended up being good. The long laundry list of coaching failures, personnel failures, and personal failures always subsides after time.
What I think is much more likely, though, is a run back to New England, probably for both Ziegler and McDaniels. Kraft is a big fan of his, and evidently Bill is-or at least was-in the past. Kraft probably considers him the in house successor still. He has this idea that New England is family for these guys, and he may have some sort of point, considering how they fare in other locales.
It’s the NFL. McDaniels will surely be a coordinator somewhere next year (see Nathaniel Hackett for the latest proof).
Is this one of those deals where he gets Raiders money only if he does not coach anywhere until after the ’27 season, or he gets that no matter what?
If he has to forfeit any or all of the remaining cash by jumping into another job, why not take at least the rest of this year and next off?
Just so GB doesn’t think he’d be an improvement over LaFlower…
Wow Christmas came early this year
I hope Antonio Pierce turns out well. He was a great leader as a player. No idea how that translates into head coaching, but wishing him luck.
It was really cool to at least see him get an opportunity to show what he could do. I hope it goes well. Always great to see former players similar to Pierce get their hands into coaching.
Antonio Pierce began his playing career with the Washington Redskins, then was on the Giants team that famously won Super Bowl 42 to prevent New England from going 19-0. And his first game as Raiders interim coach is against the Giants.
McDaniels is gonna find himself back in Foxboro to replace Belichick … as soon as this season?
Good info there, Chucky. Nice observation about the Giants game.
Daboll’s own Patriot connections could tie into that as well, if you want to go that far.
Actual possibility: fire BB and O’B–bring in the Vegas Duo as OC and GM with Mayo as head coach for remainder of the season. Vegas would hire BB in a heartbeat unless someone else beat the Raiders to the punch.
Long overdue. Daniels is a product of Brady, not the other way around. All those ex-Patriots better check their lockers in the morning to see if they still have their jobs.
Top owner-Goat NC-Goat QB-Top AC- ==== 6 flags=== that’s building a team.
Time for hoodie Jr., to takeover a college team .. surround himself with some decent recruiters/assistant coaches, and go nuts
in the off-season the raiders are going to hire Tom Brady as GM, head coach and QB. that way he can be owner,GM,head coach and QB all at once. lol
Start fresh, new GM, new head coach, draft in a new QB, and trade Devonte Adams
More dead money to add to the pool. It’s embarrassing how much money is being spent on fired coaches every year. Meanwhile, taxpayers fund new stadiums for these muppets handing out underwater contracts.
A lot of these coaching contracts have outs or stipulations you have to actively seek a job after firing. Matt rhule was one and cardinals coach from last year
Nothing better than getting fired and still getting paid for the next 4 years.
So Mark has both Gruden & McDaniels still on the books? And needs a new HC/GM combo? Guess he’s not as poor as everyone says he is. In fact, he’s rich enough to devalue his team to let TB buy in cheaper.
*circus music*
Really surprised their offense was so bad considering the talent they have. The Carr for Garoppolo swap didn’t make any sense either, then getting rid of Stidham when he showed some promise was confusing. No wonder Davis needs to sell off some of his franchise, he has to pay all those fired HCs.
Let’s be sensible.
This is the Raiders.
Adam Gase … COME ON DOWN!
I kid I kid
I was thinking Rex Ryan…
Bring in Jim Harbaugh and let’s get this thing turned around!
It’s a good time for that conversation. Some owners will hesitate to make him an offer at this point. And we might have no competition if we move right now.
My first thought was this will be a bidding war for JH with the Bears
Which is why I’d like to strike as quick as possible. The Bears still have a coach and might not want to fire him mid-season.
Al Davis certainly deserved better than have his legacy destroyed like this. I’m not even a Raiders fan but it’s still very depressing to see Mark masquerade as a capable owner.
Tom Brady’s skills suckered a lot of teams into hiring way too many incompetent coaches over the past few years.
Not a single assistant coach, front office person, & even Bill himself (all from NE. Too short of time to tell about Tampa people) have won w/o Tom. In fact, Bill’s teams get worse each year. Which, as you know, I love to point out!
I’ll say this, McDaniels had a pretty good resume as an OC to be a HC. There certainly are lesser coordinators out there who got HC jobs.
That’s the worst part. Even with a good running back, 3 good receivers, and supposedly a decent+ QB, the offense is thoroughly stagnant.
Just a matter of time, wasn’t it? Davis was the only person on the planet who couldn’t see that hiring McDaniels made no sense given all the other potential choices out there.
The writers at PFR must be doing cartwheels at all the potential content this will generate over the next 6 months.
This is so factual it’s “Thread Lock” worthy
Maybe there is a brain under that bad haircut after all.
Bring back Jon Gruden
The NFL has turned into a PC Clown Show
Gruden II stunk.
He did not
I am not an official Raiders fan, but he did not stink
Eh, he was a dinosaur. Granted, the rest of the org was a mess, but I don’t think he would have been successful either way.
He was mediocre, at best, his second time through. It was his involvement in the FO that soured me on him. The previous drafts were obviously awful. But it was the image of him high-fiving everyone, after they drafted Leatherwood #17, that will stick with me forever.
They acted as if they stole the guy. There might not be a single person in the world that thought someone was taking him in front of the Raiders. Everyone makes bad picks, but to be celebrating like “I cannot believe how lucky we are that this guy is available at #17” was insane.
The 2019 draft was actually not that bad, even if it led off with Clelin Ferrell. They ended up acquiring Jacobs, Crosby, and Renfrow in that draft as well.
The 2020 was absolutely horrendous, even if you give them a pass for not being able to predict Ruggs. 2021 was below average. Overall, it wasn’t the worst showing, but left a lot to be desired. Gruden likely did interfere with the draft choices, but he did an okay job on the field and was having a good start when he “resigned” his last year. I wouldn’t call him a success, but he had a chance to turn it around. We never got to see if that was fool’s gold or not, though. Credit to Bisaccia, though, he deserves it.
My working hypothesis is that Gruden didn’t actually weigh in on the draft other than the 1st round, kind of like a lot of fans. We always did better the further down we got.
I agree with that a lot. Ferrell was described at the as a “culture” pick, similar to their other first rounders if I recall correctly. Gruden has notoriously been a culture guy, so it makes sense. I think a lot of “final say” coaches, and even a lot of GMs, have that in common. I think that the further down you go, the scouting department (and scout oriented GMs, who are usually the type to take backseats to final say coaches) get to weigh in more on their picks.
I’m hoping the timing of this was because they couldn’t even pull off a trade to upgrade one of the many, many weak spots on the roster.
I was about to post the same thing. They sat on their hands despite a 3-5 record, with the three wins coming against Denver, GB, and NE?
This is a bad team, and they should’ve traded Adams and Garoppolo, at a minimum.
Wow they actually did it lmao. Who’s next? Brian Flores maybe? Adam Gase? Bill O’Brien?
This reminds me of the Lions several years ago when there was another Patriots duo with Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia. They make a coaching change after a good season replacing Jim Caldwell with Matt Patricia. It was a disaster from the start. Patricia shouldn’t have been given a third season especially when they pass on Tua and Herbert and draft Okudah third overall. It’s worked out so far with Goff. Maybe who the Raiders will hire after the season will be Ben Johnson.
Over/under on weeks until McDaniels is back associated with New England: 3?
Raiders should have learned from the mistake the Lions made with the Belicheck coaching tree..these guys are worthless without him. Sad thing is Bob Quinn still believes he’s the smartest GM ever in the NFL
Correction: all of these guys are worthless without Brady
It what happens when teams give him another shot at hc when he just best as a coordinator.. not all coaches from bill belich tree actually are good hc
Going on their 7th coach in 10 years. Uff da.
If the story of how he got fired is true, it’s absolutely legendary. Vicious!
Of course it wasn’t though, too funny.