Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis surprised many around the league by firing head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler hours after the NFL trade deadline. While many in the NFL believe Las Vegas had to make the move, it came at a staggering cost.
When Davis hired McDaniels to lead his franchise ahead of the 2022 season, he made a sizable financial commitment to the new head coach. McDaniels and Ziegler received six-year contracts, with Davis making McDaniels one of the highest-paid head coaches in the league.
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Their results never matched the salaries. McDaniels and Ziegler totaled just nine wins across 25 games, building an expensive roster with high-priced stars that resulted in one of the NFL’s worst offenses and defenses. Now, with both gone, Davis is left paying the bill for his mistakes.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the decision to fire McDaniels, Ziegler and offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi will cost the Raiders’ franchise approximately $85 million. While that cost will be partially offset and spread out over multiple years, it’s the latest financial bullet Davis has had to bite.
However, as he told ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez, the move had to be made. Even with the rising costs of contracts and other owed payments to former coaches, Las Vegas needed to make a change.
“Unfortunately, I had great hopes for Josh and Dave. It just seemed we were going in the wrong direction. So, with the trade deadline, I just felt it was time to make a change, time to make a move.”
Mark Davis on the decision to fire Las Vegas Raiders HC Josh McDaniels, GM Dave Ziegler (H/T ESPN)
Gruden isn’t the only former Raiders’ coach Davis is paying. While Jon Gruden resigned during the 2021 season, even that came at a cost. In October 2021, Davis agreed to an undisclosed settlement with Gruden. He still owed the former head coach nearly $40 million at the time of Gruden’s resignation and the agreement between the two sides settled matters financially.
It’s currently unknown if the Raiders’ financial obligations to McDaniels and his departing staff will have an influence on who Las Vegas pursues in 2024. While rumors have connected the franchise to Jim Harbaugh, that would require making him one of the highest-paid coaches in football.
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Importantly, per Schefter, some around the Raiders’ organization have indicated that Davis isn’t worried about the money. Instead, his primary focus is on bringing stability to the franchise and finding someone who could turn the Raiders back into a winner.
