Josh McDaniels did not last even two full seasons as the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach. Immediately after their ugly loss to the Detroit Lions, owner Mark Davis and Co. have opted to move off McDaniels.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Vegas has also fired general manager Dave Ziegler in a shocking set of moves that promises to reshape the downtrodden organization for years to come.
The Raiders also released a statement confirming the firings.
“The Las Vegas Raiders have relieved Josh McDaniels and David Ziegler of their duties as head coach and general manager, Davis said in a statement. “After much thought about what the Raiders need to move forward, I have decided to part ways with Josh and Dave. I want to thank them both for their hard work and wish them and their families nothing but the best.”
Linebackers coach Antonio Pierce will take over for McDaniels on an interim basis while assistant general manager Champ Kelly will take over as GM on an interim basis.
Vegas fell to 3-5 on the season by virtue of an ugly 26-14 loss to Detroit on Monday night. It’s a game that saw the team put up 157 total yards of offense and a mere 12 first downs. It also came after an equally humiliating 30-12 loss to the Chicago Bears back in Week 7.
McDaniels had seemingly been on the hot seat in Las Vegas for a bit now. He finishes his tenure with a disastrous 9-16 record in just 25 games. This represented the long-time New England Patriots assistant’s first head coaching gig since he posted an 11-17 record with the Denver Broncos back in 2009-10.
Related: Candidates to replace Josh McDaniels as Las Vegas Raiders head coach
For the Las Vegas Raiders, this represents a complete reshaping of their hierachy as the team attempts to become relevant on the broader NFL stage once again.
They had earned a surprise playoff appearance back in 2021 after Jon Gruden resigned in disgrace. Rich Bisaccia took over on an interim basis, leading the Raiders to a 7-5 record and a spot in the playoffs. Many were pushing for Bisaccia to take over on a full-time basis, but Davis opted to go with the splash hire. That seems to have been a major mistake.