The Las Vegas Raiders ended up with Josh McDaniels and David Ziegler.
The Raiders announced Tuesday night that they have parted ways with McDaniels, the head coach, and Ziegler, the general manager, after the franchise fell to 3-5 this season. The announcement came a day after the Raiders lost 26-14 to the Detroit Lions.
“After much thought about what the riders need moving forward, I have decided to part ways with Josh and Dave,” owner Mark Davis said in a statement. “I want to thank them both for their hard work and wish them and their families nothing but the best.”
The Raiders are the first team to fire a head coach this season. Linebackers coach Antonio Pierce is expected to be named the team’s interim coach. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Pierce, who resigned as an assistant at Arizona State amid an NCAA investigation, will lead the Raiders into Sunday’s game against the New York Giants this week. Pierce played nine seasons in the NFL, five of which were with the Giants, including their Super Bowl winning campaign in 2007.
It’s unclear when Davis will conduct a coaching search or who he will bring in for the full-time job.
McDaniels is in the middle of his second season in Las Vegas, leading the Raiders to a 9-16 record. The Raiders hired him after a 10-year run as the New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator, where he won three Super Bowls with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. It was the Raiders’ second time as a head coach in the league, following a two-year run with the Denver Broncos in 2009 and 2010. He was fired midway through his second season with the Broncos.
The Raiders gave McDaniels a six-year deal when they hired him.
The Raiders also hired Ziegler when they brought in McDaniels. Ziegler worked much of McDaniels’ time in the Patriots’ front office and was promoted to their director of player personnel before landing the job in Las Vegas. The two also worked together in Denver, and were teammates in college at John Carroll University.
The Raiders have gotten off to a slow start this season and have lost five of their last seven games last season. The Raiders managed 157 yards of offense in Monday night’s loss to the Lions, while allowing Detroit just shy of 500. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo — injured in last week’s loss to the Chicago Bears — didn’t complete a pass. In the first half, wide receiver, and star wide receiver Davante Adams and All-Pro running back Josh Jacobs were both very frustrated in Detroit.
Those offensive struggles have been an issue all season. The Raiders average 268.3 yards per game, better than the Giants, and only 15.8 points per contest, better than both the Giants and Patriots.
So just hours after the trade deadline, Davis called it up and wanted to make a move.
