NFL

Rejoice: Why Josh McDaniels’ Raiders Firing Was Long Overdue

Darren - November 2, 2023

NFL

Rejoice: Why Josh McDaniels’ Raiders Firing Was Long Overdue

Darren - November 2, 2023

The Renfrow Situation

Slot receiver Hunter Renfrow had a breakout season in 2021 as he set personal bests and earned his first Pro Bowl selection. The wideout knew that he was in for a fight for targets when the Raiders signed Derek Carr’s best friend, Davante Adams. But he still believed that his career was about to reach new heights.

However, he had a disastrous 2022 as injuries took their toll. Then, rumors ignited that he didn’t fit into McDaniels’ plans and that they wanted to trade him. But the problem was that teams were unwilling to pay all of the guaranteed money in Renfrow’s ridiculous contract (via NFL.com).

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Too Bad To Keep

The reality was that financially speaking, Davis most likely didn’t want to fire McDaniels and Ziegler. It was a very expensive decision that will hang over the franchise for the next few years. In 2022, they signed their now-former head coach to a six-year deal worth about $10 million per season (via Sporting News).

This leaves them with an outrageous amount of dead money to deal with. The fully guaranteed contract means that they have a massive sum to hand out. It’s the easiest cash that McDaniels will ever make because he doesn’t have to do anything. This was long overdue but that’s because it was a bitter pill to swallow.

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That Brutal Chicago Loss

This will haunt McDaniels for the remainder of his coaching career. The Raiders entered this game as favorites against another downtrodden franchise in the Chicago Bears. One of the stories of the game was Tyson Bagent, a former Division II quarterback, who led three touchdown drives. The undrafted player humiliated Las Vegas with his confident display.

The Raiders had quarterback problems of their own as former Patriot Brian Hoyer replaced the injured Jimmy Garoppolo. However, he had three interceptions including a costly pick-six as Aidan O’Connell sat watching. McDaniels received criticism for not throwing his rookie into the fray (via AP News).

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History Repeats Itself

We already spoke about McDaniels’ horrible record in Las Vegas. However, there’s nothing new about this because the same thing happened during his short Denver tenure. His first foray as an NFL head coach was a complete failure as he went 11-17. He also had a notorious cheating scandal as he followed his mentor Bill Belichick’s footsteps.

Meanwhile, McDaniels achieved the unwanted record. He became the first head coach of the Super Bowl era to lose his job before reaching the end of the second season with two teams. This says plenty about McDaniels and why firing him was long overdue (via Las Vegas Review-Journal).

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Carr Conundrum

McDaniels and Ziegler combined to make some horrendous decisions. First, McDaniels decided that he didn’t want Derek Carr on the team anymore. It’s fair to criticize Carr’s failure to become a top-five quarterback. But he remains a consistent player and was a respected figure in the locker room (via Pro Football Network).

But then he brought in Jimmy Garoppolo on an expensive deal in a backward step for the franchise. Meanwhile, Ziegler infuriated Mike Davis because Carr’s recent contract extension allowed him to walk away without the Raiders receiving compensation. It was a mess on all fronts and another reason that firing them was long overdue.

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Shocking Meltdowns

The Raiders suffered several shocking meltdowns during McDaniels’ ill-fated reign. They threw away five double-figure leads in the second half of games. McDaniels showed his inability to manage a game and see out a victory from a comfortable position. That’s why firing him was a must.

Meanwhile, we looked at his overall records as well as the teams they lost against. McDaniels failed to adapt when the momentum shifted in games. This was something that fans saw when he was in Denver too. He has a history of failure as a head coach despite his proficiency as a coordinator (via A to Z Sports).

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The Field Goal

One moment that sums up McDaniels’ awful playcalling came against the Steelers in Week 3. The Raiders shocked everybody when they kicked a field goal down by eight points instead of going for a first down in the dying minutes of the game. This gave Pittsburgh the chance to run the clock down and seal the victory (via NFL.com).

McDaniels attempted to justify his decision but he dug a hole for himself. He explained: “You try to make it a five-point game where you have an opportunity to win it with the touchdown if you get the ball back. Or you try to go for it there. And then if you happen to convert, you’ve got to make the two-point conversion.”

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Jimmy G’s Regression

There are so many things wrong with Garoppolo in Las Vegas that it’s difficult to know where to start. He failed a physical before he signed his contract and required foot surgery. But they still brought him in despite knowing that he had problems because he was McDaniels’ ‘guy’.

Somehow, at the time of McDaniels’ firing, he led the league in interceptions with nine despite only playing in six games. This was one of the worst decisions of McDaniels’ short tenure because he was behind it. In the end, it was a complete disaster and one more reason why firing him was long overdue (via New York Post).

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Empty Confidence

One of the clearest reasons why the Raiders fired McDaniels is because of his empty confidence. He continually insisted the team was getting better and showing signs of going in the right direction. However, reality painted a different picture and began to irritate Mark Davis.

Finally, he left the owner no choice even though it was long overdue in the minds of their fans. We’ve spoken already about McDaniels’ ludicrous contract as well as the money they poured into free-agent signings and extensions. In the end, they lost all confidence in McDaniels’ empty sense of confidence (via NBC Sports).

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