The Josh McDaniels era in Las Vegas is off to a horrendous start, but it does not sound like the Raiders are planning to part ways with their new head coach anytime soon.
After the Raiders lost 25-20 at home to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, rumors began to swirl that McDaniels may already be on the hot seat. According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, McDaniels has been given assurances that he will return as the head coach in Las Vegas next season.
Head coach Josh McDaniels has been given assurances by ownership that he will return to coach the Raiders in 2023, according to a team source. @theathletic
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) November 14, 2022
That is not exactly a surprise. McDaniels signed a four-year deal with the Raiders and likely has a massive buyout. There is almost no chance team owner Mark Davis is going to give up on him after just one season and admit that McDaniels was a bad hire, especially after the way the Jon Gruden’s tenure in Las Vegas ended.
The Raiders fell to 2-7 with their loss to the Colts. Derek Carr was extremely emotional in his postgame press conference and appeared to hint that some of his teammates are not totally bought in. If that is the case, that would reflect poorly on McDaniels.
Despite the struggles, Davis says he feels McDaniels is doing an excellent job. He essentially confirmed that the 46-year-old’s job is safe until 2023.
“People in today’s world want instant gratification. The guy’s coached nine games,” Davis said, via ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez. “We’re 2-7, not the results we’re looking for, but at the same time, we’ve lost six games where we’ve had the ball with a chance to win at the end. … Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
The big concern for Raiders fans is that this is McDaniels’ second NFL head coaching stint, and his first was a failure. McDaniels lasted less than two full seasons with the Denver Broncos in 2009 and 2010. He finished with a record of 11-17. He is now 13-24 as a head coach following Sunday’s loss. While the sample size is not huge, McDaniels inherited a solid roster in Las Vegas. The results through nine games should be a lot better.
