Raiders GM Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels are fired.
Henderson, Nevada The Las Vegas Raiders announced on Tuesday night that general manager Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels had been sacked.
Owner Mark Davis released a statement saying, “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.”
When pressed to elucidate the reasons for the terminations over the phone, Davis responded to ESPN with, “No comment at this time.”
Antonio Pierce, the Raiders’ linebackers coach, has been named the team’s acting head coach. Champ Kelly, the team’s current assistant general manager, will take over as temporary general manager. When the organization declared such advancements, it is committed to undergoing “a comprehensive search” for a head coach and general manager “once the season is complete.”
The Raiders also fired offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday. Quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree will be promoted to offensive coordinator and take over offensive playcalling, which had been handled by McDaniels, sources told ESPN, confirming an NFL Network report.
The Raiders suffered a 26-14 loss to Detroit on “Monday Night Football,” their second straight loss in which their offense was unable to muster any momentum. The move was made the day before. The Raiders fell to 3-5 after the loss.
When interim coach Rich Bisaccia and then-GM Mike Mayock took over after coach Jon Gruden resigned in mid-season in 2021, the team finished 10-7 and made an unexpected run to the playoffs in 2021, marking the organization’s second postseason appearance since 2002. McDaniels and Ziegler were both hired in January 2022.
McDaniels and Ziegler, according to Davis at the time, were supposed to lead the team to the “next step” in its development. Rather, under the new leadership, the Raiders went a combined 9-16 without making the playoffs, and McDaniels concluded his career with the third-worst record of any Raiders coach who had coached at least 25 games.
In his last stint as head coach, which spanned from 2009 to 2010, McDaniels did not lead the Denver Broncos for two complete seasons either. Before the completion of his second season, he was dismissed by two teams, making him the first non-interim coach in Super Bowl history.
The offensive scheme and experience of McDaniels as an offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, with whom he shared six Super Bowl rings, captivated Davis.
However, the Raiders’ offensive prowess did not carry over to Las Vegas, as the McDaniels-Ziegler combination led the team to some of its most humiliating losses in franchise history. The biggest collapse in franchise history occurred when the Colts lost to Indianapolis in their first game under Jeff Saturday, the interim coach, despite Saturday having never coached above high school; two days after Mayfield joined the Rams, they blew a double-digit lead against Baker Mayfield and the Los Angeles Rams; and in New Orleans, they were shut out.
