Getty Dave Ziegler with Josh McDaniels.
The New England Patriots were quick to replace head coach Bill Belichick with Jerod Mayo but they’ll likely take more time to replace him as general manager. The NFL is littered with former Patriots executives who have gone to other teams and one name to keep an eye on is former Las Vegas Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler.
According to a January 12 X post from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Ziegler is one of the names who could be in the mix for the job.
Ziegler joined the Patriots in 2013 as the assistant director of pro scouting before working his way up to director of player personnel. He was Belchick’s right-hand man in the front office for a couple of years before going to the Raiders. Ziegler was fired by Las Vegas before he finished a second season but he wasn’t in the position long enough to get a good gauge of his ability.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft should be very familiar with Ziegler and his skill for talent evaluation. New England is likely the only spot where he’d be considered for a general manager job.
Did Dave Ziegler Deserve to Get Fired?
When Josh McDaniels was fired as head coach of the Raiders, it wasn’t a total surprise. He had a 9-16 record and the players didn’t seem to be vibing with him. It didn’t help that fans would start harassing owner Mark Davis about firing McDaniels.
The Dave Ziegler situation was more complex. He was considered a packaged deal with McDaniels so Davis just wanted to move on from both. However, Ziegler did do some good things. Trading for Davante Adams was a good move as the wide receiver has had back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards. 2023 draft picks Michael Mayer, Tre Tucker and Aidan O’Connell turned out to be key players for the Raiders this season.
Ziegler also did good things in free agency with the signings of Robert Spillane and Marcus Epps. While there was some good, there was plenty of bad. The Chandler Jones signing was a disaster and the defensive end was cut before the 2023 season. 2023 first-round pick Tyree Wilson didn’t make much of an impact this season and giving Jimmy Garoppolo a $72 million contract may have been the straw that broke the camels back. Ziegler is only 46 so there’s plenty of room to grow but he may need to take a step back before he’s considered for a general manager job again.
Latest on Las Vegas Raiders GM Search
The Raiders appear to have plans to hire a general manager before they start interviewing head coaching candidates this time around. The team has interviews set with Indianapolis Colts general manager Ed Dodds and Buffalo Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray on January 12, per Ian Rapoport.
The team will then interview interim general manager Champ Kelly on January 13.
One thing that Rapoport noted is that the Raiders were likely going to hire Dodds but Mark Davis wanted Josh McDaniels, who wanted Dave Ziegler as his general manager. The team will now have a chance to hire Dodds this time around but Kelly is certainly still in the mix. As of now, it’s looking like Dodds or Kelly will be the Raiders’ general manager next season.