The “Patriot Way” is officially over with in Las Vegas. The Raiders fired head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler after a season and a half of mediocrity.
Interim head coach Antionio Pierce is going to a fair shake at the job but his coaching staff would likely look a lot different in 2024, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe.
“Regardless of how the rest of the season and the subsequent search for replacements pan out, a rival coach predicted an offseason purge of former New England Patriots with ties to McDaniels,” Howe wrote in a November 3 column. “They already fired offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi, but it’s impractical to think they could have further dismantled the staff with two months remaining in the regular season. It’s also going to be a challenge over the next nine games, the coach predicted, for McDaniels’ allies within the building to hear criticism of his decisions as the reordered coaching staff makes changes.”
The Bill Belichick coaching tree is tightly knit so these next few months will be difficult for McDaniels allies, especially if the Raiders start winning. If things keep going South, more former Patriots coaches may start to go.
Coaches on Las Vegas Raiders Staff at Risk
The most notable former Patriots coach with ties to Josh McDaniels is defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. However, unlike Mick Lombardi, Graham wasn’t closely tied to McDaniels for most of his career. Graham has bounced around quite a bit and hasn’t been with the Patriots since 2015. He’s formed his own path away from Bill Belichick. Graham has his defense playing hard this season despite a dearth of talent. If Antonio Pierce keeps the head coaching job, it’s easy to see him keeping Graham.
New offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree also came from New England with McDaniels but he spent most of his career under former New York Jets and Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase. He only spent one year with the Patriots. He has a huge opportunity here with the Raiders to prove he has the chops to be an offensive coordinator.
Another notable name is offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo. He got his NFL start with the Patriots and was a key assistant for McDaniels. Considering how poorly the offensive line has been playing this season, Bricillo is on the hot seat.
Las Vegas Raiders Openings Should Still Be Appealing
According to Jeff Howe, Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels had eyes on 2024 for when the roster would truly be ready to compete. Mark Davis was on board with the idea but after seeing things go so poorly this season, he decided to make the change.
Davis’ unpredictability could be seen as a concern for potential head coach and general manager candidates. However, the Raiders have the only openings right now at both positions and not many people will turn down a chance to lead an NFL team.
“Someone will take the job because it’s a head-coach or GM opportunity,” an executive told Howe. “I wouldn’t say (the Raiders are) less appealing, because most of these jobs and situations are unpredictable if you don’t win.”
The Raiders shouldn’t have any trouble finding a head coach and general manager if they decide that Antionio Pierce and Champ Kelly aren’t right for the job.
Raiders Predicted to ‘Purge’ Coaches With Patriots Ties: Insider