In an unexpected late-night decision, the Raiders dismiss general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels.
During his half-season with Las Vegas, McDaniels had a 9-16 record.
Mark Davis has chosen to terminate Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler, less than two years after they were hired.
The Raiders owner shocked everyone on Tuesday night when he abruptly announced that he was planning to clean house and fire both the general manager and head coach.
“After much thought about what the Raiders need to move forward, I have decided to part ways with Josh and Dave,” Davis stated in a statement. “I want to thank them both for their hard work and wish them and their families nothing but the best.”
As recently as October 1, Davis had stood by McDaniels in the face of fan calls for his dismissal, but in the weeks that followed, it was evident that he had changed his mind about the head coach. SI said on Wednesday that offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi had also been let go by the Raiders.
After leading the Raiders to two straight victories—a 17-13 triumph over the Packers in Week 5 and a 21-17 victory over the Patriots in Week 6—after they had a dismal 1-3 start, McDaniels’ situation significantly improved. But throughout the last two weeks, the Raiders offensive has significantly regressed, which has to be causing Davis a great deal of aggravation.
In Week 7, the Raiders were dominated 30–12 by a Bears club they were picked to win, and on Monday night in Week 8, they lost 26–14 to the Lions in a game in which Las Vegas managed only 157 yards of total offense. Following those two losses, which saw the Raiders slide to 3-5, it appears like Davis finally had enough.
The Raiders offense, led by McDaniels, haven’t scored 20 points in any of their first eight games. This is the worst drought an NFL club has had to open a season since 2009.
The Raiders offense has been among the worst in the NFL through eight weeks of play in almost every significant statistical category. In terms of points per game (15.8), the club finished 29th overall and dead last in the NFL in terms of running yards per game (70.0). They were rated 27th overall in yards per play and 30th overall in third-down conversion rate. In short, the offensive was a complete failure. According to SI on Wednesday, the Raiders also let go of their offensive coordinator.
Additionally, McDaniels was not helped by the Raiders’ embarassing defeats during his tenure. The Raiders faced former Division II quarterback Tyler Bagent, who was making his first-ever start, in the Bears defeat. The Colts squad led by Jeff Saturday, who had been coaching high school football the week before the Raiders game, defeated him in 2022. The Rams, led by Baker Mayfield, who had only been with the club for less than a week before defeating Las Vegas, also defeated the Raiders later in the season.
