Getty Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.
It appeared that the Las Vegas Raiders hit rock bottom last week when they blew their third 17-point lead of the season in a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, the team is figuring out new lows to hit. Heading into Week 10, the Raiders were supposed to have a bounceback game against an Indianapolis Colts team that fired its head coach and hired a guy who had never coached in the NFL.
While Las Vegas was widely favored, their ability to lose should never be underestimated. The Raiders ended up losing 25-20 at home in what is somehow the worse loss in a season that has had a lot of bad losses. Fans have consistently been begging owner Mark Davis to fire head coach Josh McDaniels for most of the season and he’d be totally justified in doing so following the Colts loss.
Unfortunately for fans who want to see the coach gone, it appears that McDaniels isn’t going anywhere. This is his first season with the team so Davis could want to give him more of a chance before he moves on. It could also be more complicated than that. Last season, Davis has to negotiate a settlement with former head coach Jon Gruden after he resigned. Figures for McDaniels’ contract are unclear outside of the fact that he has a four-year deal. His contract could be what’s saving him. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the coach’s buyout is what’s saving him from returning to the New England Patriots by next week.
The buyout may be the only thing saving Josh McDaniels from becoming the New England offensive coordinator next week.
How Long Will McDaniels Survive?
If the Colts loss wasn’t enough to get McDaniels fired, he likely will at least last the rest of the season. There isn’t a viable interim option on the coaching staff so that will factor in. There’s no way Davis wants to see defensive coordinator Patrick Graham leading the team.
Davis is absolutely frustrated. He’s had multiple meetings with McDaniels after losses this season and went to the locker room following the loss to the Colts, per Tashan Reed of The Athletic. McDaniels gave his postgame press conference so that’s a good sign he’s safe for this week. If the Raiders finished the season with less than five wins, Davis may forget about the money and move on from the coach. That decision isn’t likely to happen until after the season.
McDaniels Understands Fan Frustration
The Raiders fan base is as loyal as there is in the NFL. They’ve watched the team lose and deal with dysfunction for 20 years now but still support the team. This year could be a breaking point for many fans. McDaniels understands why they feel the way that they do.
“We have great fans and they want better than this. I get it,” McDaniels said after the game. “They have the right to feel frustrated with the results that we’ve provided this year.”
Fans have already turned on McDaniels and he’s not going to be able to win them back this year. If he survives until next season, his leash is going to be quite short. McDaniels has to hope he can turn it around because nobody is giving him another head coaching job if he fails in Las Vegas.