The Las Vegas Raiders' offensive issues have been talked about at length this season. There is no one cure-all for their immense struggles, but someone has to be the fall guy in Las Vegas, and if Pete Carroll has anything to do with it, it won't be Geno Smith.
That leaves offensive coordinator Chip Kelly as the likely option, whose lofty $6 million paycheck came in conjunction with incredibly high expectations. To say that he has not lived up to these would be an understatement, as no facet of the Raiders' offense has been consistently successful.
It will ultimately be up to Carroll, and perhaps Mark Davis as well, if Kelly sticks around for another year. But the Silver and Black have been quick to pull the plug on play-callers in recent seasons, and Kelly could be next. Las Vegas would, obviously, then need to find the right replacement.
Raiders should look to replace Chip Kelly with Brian Daboll this offseason
While Mike McDaniel may be an enticing name if he is fired from the Miami Dolphins, the Raiders should begin their scan for upgrades with Brian Daboll, who was fired as the head coach of the New York Giants on Monday, and should be available this offseason.
Daboll's relationship with general manager Joe Schoen was not perfect, and the head coach had the rug pulled out from under him several times in New York. But Daboll knows offense, and he knows quarterback development, so he could be a great asset in Las Vegas.
Before he was the Giants' head man, he was the offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills, who helped develop Josh Allen. Before that, he was an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for an Alabama team that featured Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Hurts, Mac Jones, Josh Jacobs, Jerry Jeudy, Calvin Ridley, and Devonta Smith.
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He also had rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart playing at a relatively high level this season for a late-first-rounder before he got the axe following Week 10. Daboll also knows Tom Brady from his multiple stints with the New England Patriots, first as a defensive assistant and wide receivers coach, then more recently as a tight ends coach.
As merely a play-caller, Daboll might be a homerun hire. After all, it wasn't long ago that he was the NFL Coach of the Year and led the Giants to a playoff win. Plus, if the Raiders have a young quarterback on the roster next season, Daboll may be the right guy to develop him.
Raider Nation may have quarrels about hiring a guy like Daboll, who would remind them of Kelly as a technically failed former head coach whose name carries a lot of weight. But Daboll has had much more success than Kelly ever did in the NFL, and far more recently, too.
His track record of working with and developing talent may make him the most intriguing candidate available. While Daboll may ultimately head back to Buffalo if their offensive coordinator position opens following Joe Brady's expected departure, Las Vegas should at least kick the tires.