The Las Vegas Raiders have finalized deals with both Josh McDaniels and Dave Zeigler to fill their vacant head coach and general manager positions, respectively. This news comes per reports from both ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. McDaniels reportedly flew to Las Vegas over the weekend to have dinner and interview with the Raiders top brass. Both parties clearly wasted no time in getting a deal done, but the contract details have yet to be released from either of the two signings.
Las Vegas Raiders Hire Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler
Since taking over ownership of the Raiders, Mark Davis has not been shy about swinging for the fences. First was the signing of Jon Gruden to a 10-year, $100 million deal. Now comes an attempt to bring the “Patriot Way’ out to Sin City. Mark Davis was reportedly blown away by McDaniels’ plans for the offense and Derek Carr specifically. Las Vegas has become notorious for its red-zone struggles over the last few years. A combination of predictability and execution missteps have been the main culprits in regards to this issue. By comparison, the New England Patriots finished seventh in red zone touchdown percentage this year, and that was with far less talent than Las Vegas had on the offensive side of the ball.
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The hiring of this duo, and particularly McDaniels, will understandably be met with a lot of skepticism from the Raiders faithful. Every attempt to recreate the Patriots system has been an utter disaster and both McDaniels and Zeigler have ties to the Patriots. Add in McDaniel’s failed coaching stint with the Denver Broncos, and it is easy to see why some fans are hesitant to believe this is the right move. Even with all of that in mind, McDaniels should be given a clean slate upon his arrival in Las Vegas. His stint in Denver was over a decade ago. It is fair to assume that McDaniels has grown since his experience with the Broncos. The healthiest approach to take is to be all-in on the new coach and general manager until they give fans a reason not to be.
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