The Las Vegas Raiders have stolen the NFL playoff spotlight by announcing their new head coach and general manager on Championship Sunday.
In a move that seems true to the Raider way, the Las Vegas Raiders decided to make things official with their hirings just hours before the NFL’s Championship Sunday got underway, and recreating the New England Patriots in Las Vegas is what owner Mark Davis has chosen.
Josh McDaniels will take over as head coach with Dave Ziegler coming on board to replace Mike Mayock as general manager.
Breaking: The Raiders are expected to hire former Patriots OC Josh McDaniels as their head coach, sources tell @AdamSchefter. pic.twitter.com/rSVQbEKa7H
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 30, 2022
The rumors and speculation began earlier this week, with things heating up as the weekend began. For most of the offseason, much of the hearsay pointed to Jim Harbaugh becoming the Raiders head coach, though nothing official ever came out and Harbaugh never interviewed for the job.
NFL Insider Ian Rapoport highlighted Ziegler’s role in quickly turning around New England following Tom Brady’s departure. That no doubt helped his case with Davis, as the Raiders shouldn’t be looking to rebuild. Rather, they need to pick up where they left off and address some concerns, such as the offensive line.
The #Raiders' targets all along were Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler. They had backup plans, of course, but this was the goal.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 30, 2022
The Patriot Way is coming to Las Vegas.
As for McDaniels, many in Raider Nation were dreading the decision all weekend long. They pointed to his questionable run as Denver Broncos head coach, even though it was more than a decade ago. A lot of the backlash from Raiders fans mostly came due to McDaniels’ being Bill Belichick’s right-hand man as his offensive coordinator.
Are the Las Vegas Raiders trying to become New England-West?
Believe it or not, Raider Nation, your Las Vegas Raiders might be trying to emulate the New England Patriots, literally and figuratively.
Fans aside, there will be many positives to McDaniels taking over the Raiders. The biggest ones are the expected improvements in red zone offense and, perhaps, this hiring, meaning Derek Carr will remain the starting quarterback next season.