Raiders reportedly have 1 big reason for not firing Josh McDaniels

Aug 4, 2022; Canton, Ohio, USA; Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels reacts during the Pro Football Hall of Fame game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Las Vegas Raiders have fallen woefully short of expectations in their first season under Josh McDaniels, but team owner Mark Davis said this week that he standing by the head coach. According to one report, he does not really have a choice.

Davis said this week that he believes McDaniels is “doing a fantastic job” despite the Raiders’ 2-7 record. Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times discussed the situation during Tuesday’s edition of “Around the Horn” on ESPN. He said he is confident McDaniels will remain the head coach in Las Vegas in 2023. That is because, from what Plaschke has heard, Davis literally cannot afford to fire McDaniels.

“I’m saying right now: Josh McDaniels will be the coach this year and next year,” Plaschke said, via Khari Thompson of Boston.com. “The Raiders don’t have the money to fire him, to pay him off. They’re cash-poor.”

This is not the first time we have heard that the Raiders have cash flow issues. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen said more than three years ago that Davis’ team had revenue stream problems. The NFL insider claimed Mark Davis had to fly commercial at the time when he took his trips to Las Vegas, which seemed like a bit of an exaggeration.

Here's the video of @mortreport reporting the Oakland #Raiders are cash-poor and can't afford to sign former #Steelers RB @LeVeonBell due to real cash issue, not salary cap issue. [part 1 of 2, h/t @ftbeard_17] pic.twitter.com/p4uJBZztuV

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 11, 2019

McDaniels signed a four-year deal with the Raiders last offseason. The team would owe him a significant amount of money if they fired him during or after Year 1. While they could find a way to do it if they really wanted to, it is hardly a surprise that Davis wants to see things through.

Derek Carr was extremely emotional after the Raiders lost to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday and appeared to hint that some of his teammates are not totally bought in. McDaniels inherited a roster that should be a lot better than 2-7 through nine games. Fortunately for him, his job appears to be safe.