NEWSLETTER
It probably should’ve happened after the Chicago Bears boat-raced them in Week 7 while being led by an undrafted Division II quarterback. But that it is happening in the first place is newsy on its own. The Las Vegas Raiders have reportedly fired Head Coach Josh McDaniels and General Manager Dave Ziegler.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter had it first at 12:01 a.m. CT. And the NFL’s official site followed shortly after we got a midnight Schefty bomb:
I didn’t have the Raiders being the first to fire their general manager and head coach in 2023. Then again, it should’ve happened last year. There was a point where there was buzz that it could happen. However, McDaniels’ job was deemed safe because the Raiders reportedly didn’t have the money to fire him. One year later, the firing is going down. Maybe someone hit it big at a slot machine. I love it when that happens.
Frankly, that the Raiders are showing this type of accountability is eye-opening. Inspiring even. It makes you wonder if other teams around the league are paying attention and taking notes. But I digress.
McDaniels finishes his Raiders coaching career with a 9-16 mark. In four years as a head coach, McDaniels’ record is 20-33. It is bad no matter how you slice it. And it is particularly enjoyable if you’re the type who enjoys the schadenfreude that comes with watching McDaniels suffer. Not that I’m the kind of person who roots for folks to lose their gigs. But football karma is a thing that comes back around on folks. It certainly seems to come back to McDaniels, whose incompetence as a head coach also played a role in their GM getting canned, too.
I’m sure Patrick will have more later. In the meantime, I’ll close this loop with two thoughts. Firstly, Jay Cutler was right. Cutler hit the nail on the noggin with his immediate assessment of Josh McDaniels. And, secondly, if the Raiders can fire their coach and general manger, then nobody should feel safe. Yes, that means even the two guys running the show in Chicago should keep their heads on a swivel. No one is safe.
