Las Vegas Raiders: Why Josh McDaniels was the wrong choice all along

Raiders take a chance on a failed HC

McDaniels had control of the Denver Broncos from 2009-2010 and was fired about 3/4 of the way through his second season. At that time, he traded away Jay Cutler, giving the football to Kyle Orton to be his starting quarterback, which resulted in his demise.

Josh McDaniels was hired in January of 2022 and lasted just 1.5 seasons with the team, a team he took from a playoff roster, to one of the worst in the NFL alongside general manager Dave Ziegler. Being in New England together, the two looked to bring the powerhouse of the North East to the South West.

The Josh McDaniels era was one of missed opportunities and lacked leadership. McDaniels had all the keys to make this team great. He had a savvy veteran quarterback that had the respect of the locker room and of the coaching staff, he had a first-round running back coming off a 2,000 total-yard season, and a receiver who was coming off a 1,500-yard season as well as a tight end that was one of the most athletic in the league.

Not only that but he also had Hunter Renfrow whose game was strikingly similar to Wes Welker and Julian Eldemen, two players McDaniels made Hall of Famers.

However, the biggest issue was the defense. The Raiders did what the Colts did during the Andrew Luck era: raided the retirement home and paid past-their-prime players massive deals just to be a has-been. Chandler Jones was a massive mistake and anyone who saw how he played knew that.

McDaniels and Ziegler thought they could build a winning roster on a roster that was already winning by sending that roster packing. Over the last two years, the team has signed 20 different free agents to varying success.