The Las Vegas Raiders are hiring New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as their new head coach, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday. The two sides have agreed to terms on a deal.
McDaniels emerged as the top candidate for the position before meeting with Raiders brass this weekend. Rapoport reported McDaniels had a positive dinner with team president Dan Ventrelle on Friday night and interviewed with owner Mark Davis on Saturday.
The longtime Patriots OC will be joined in Las Vegas by fellow former Patriot Dave Ziegler as the Raiders' next general manager, as Rapoport and NFL Network's Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero reported earlier Sunday. The former Patriots director of player personnel is considered an ideal front-office partner for McDaniels, per Rapoport.
McDaniels has been walking the Patriot Way for the better part of two decades. He was involved in all six of their Super Bowl titles, serving as the offensive coordinator from 2005-2008 and 2012-2021. This past season, he guided quarterback Mac Jones through an impressive rookie year, as the Pats made it back to the postseason while their offense rebounded to sixth in scoring.
In Las Vegas, the 45-year-old McDaniels inherits another 2021 wild-card squad that persevered through off-field tragedy and turmoil. Within the span of four weeks midway through the season, coach Jon Gruden resigned after the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times published articles detailing the use of racist, homophobic and misogynistic terms by Gruden in emails; former receiver Henry Ruggs III was released following his arrest and charges for multiple felonies related to his role in a traffic collision that resulted in the death of a young woman; and cornerback Damon Arnette was released following a series of off-field incidents, including a viral video in which Arnette brandished a gun and threatened to kill someone.
Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia was tabbed as the interim coach in October and led the Raiders on an inspired run to Super Wild Card Weekend, where they lost in the final minute to the Cincinnati Bengals. Las Vegas finished the season with a 10-7 mark (7-5 with Bisaccia) and appeared in the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. The Raiders have not won a postseason game since reaching the Super Bowl in the 2002 campaign, zipping through nine permanent head coaches in the process.
Following the Raiders’ recent wild-card loss, Rapoport reported the future of franchise quarterback Derek Carr would likely be tied to the head coaching hire. The three-time Pro Bowler is coming off arguably the best season of his career but has just one year left on his deal and carries no dead cap hit in 2022.
The Raiders are technically McDaniels’ third foray into head coaching, though he’s only worked in that capacity previously with the Denver Broncos. In 2018, he accepted the Indianapolis Colts job before withdrawing from the position the same day he was announced and rejoined the Pats.
In 2009, Denver made McDaniels its head coach at just 32 years old. His tenure lasted less than two seasons and amounted to an 11-17 mark. He spent 2011 as the St. Louis Rams’ offensive coordinator before returning to New England the following year.