Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis decided to make major changes following his team’s loss to the Detroit Lions on Monday night, but it sounds like former head coach Josh McDaniels had one foot out the door several days before that.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, McDaniels appeared to check out on the Raiders following the clear-the-air meeting the team held last Thursday. While one reporter initially described that meeting as positive, Rapoport says it served as an opportunity for players and coaches to rip into McDaniels. The coach then seemed “distant” at practice later that day.
“It goes back to last Thursday’s practice before the Lions loss. McDaniels had just had a vicious team meeting. Players and coaches ripped into him,” Rapoport said. “It was ugly. They voiced their displeasure. Then, at practice a couple hours later, he was described as not himself. He was distant. He let plays happen instead of correcting. Players felt he was there in body but not in spirit. Essentially, based on the sources I’ve spoken with, it broke him.”
Many within the organization felt the meeting signaled the unofficial end to McDaniels’ brief tenure with the Raiders. You can hear more below:
The Insiders on @NFLGameDay: Inside the firing of #Raiders coach Josh McDaniels and why Thursday’s practice mattered; #Bears QB Justin Fields could start on Thursday; #Browns QB Deshaun Watson is finally back and ready, will start today. pic.twitter.com/hUN1ES0jlV
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 5, 2023
Davis was obviously disgusted with his team before Monday’s loss to the Lions. He indicated as much with the message he delivered to players after he fired McDaniels and former general manager Dave Ziegler.
McDaniels was probably on borrowed time regardless of what happened on Monday night. The meeting and some of the embarrassing plays we saw in the Detroit loss seemed to seal his fate.
