Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels finds himself on the NFL coaching hot seat entering Week 8. However, there appears to be a very real scenario where he could return to Las Vegas for the 2024 season
Long before Week 1, reports made it clear that McDaniels was safe as Raiders’ head coach. Despite the team falling short of expectations in 2022 and an unflattering report card from Raiders’ players from the NFL Players Association, it seemed like owner Mark Davis would stick by his head coach.
- Josh McDaniels record: 9-15 with Las Vegas Raiders
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However, the winds have shifted in recent weeks. Reports emerged in early October that some around the NFL were keeping an eye on Las Vegas, believing McDaniels could be in trouble if things got ugly. After the Raiders lost to the Chicago Bears in Week 7, being outplayed by a team missing multiple starters, the future of the Raiders’ coach became even more uncertain.
Yahoo Sports’ senior NFL insider Charles Robinson shared on the Inside Coverage podcast that he believes there’s a very real scenario where McDaniels could return as the Raiders’ head coach in 2024.
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“Feeling how they feel about where they’re at the quarterback spot and all these different things. I think if Josh McDaniels is close to .500 by the end of the season, I think Mark Davis will sit there and go. ‘OK, we didn’t want to use the R-word, the rebuild word, but look where we ended up. We have some young players, it was a good draft, it looks like it’s a pretty good draft, we can add another good draft on top of that. Feels like we’re ultimately moving in the right direction.”
Charles Robinson on Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels
Money could easily be a factor in the decision. The speculation around the NFL in 2022 was that Davis was “cash poor” and didn’t have the money to fire McDaniels and bring in a new staff. It’s an even more challenging situation because Davis agreed to an undisclosed contract settlement with Jon Gruden after parting ways with him midway through a $100 million contract.
Davis also doesn’t want to be reactionary. The franchise has a long history of making frequent coaching changes. From 2003-’23, the Raiders have had 12 head coaches.
Yet, as we wrote in December 2022, McDaniels hasn’t really demonstrated anything since his arrival to warrant sticking around. The Raiders’ offense has poorly utilized its talent, in-game decisions have cost this team on numerous occasions and there doesn’t seem to be much support in the locker room for McDaniels. If his team can’t find a way to win at least seven games, McDaniels will likely have forced Davis’s hand and the Raiders’ coaching search will begin. In that scenario, McDaniels will never be an NFL head coach again.
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