Raiders owner Mark Davis hired McDaniels on Sunday to be the next head coach, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported. He’ll take over for interim coach Rich Bisaccia, who led the Raiders to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth for the first time since 2016 and proved popular with many of the team’s stars.
McDaniels comes in after serving as a longtime assistant with the New England Patriots, including as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
He met with Davis and team president Dan Ventrelle this weekend in Las Vegas. The Raiders did confirm they’ve hired Dave Ziegler, a Patriots exec, as the general manager on Sunday.
The search for a GM and permanent head coach lasted almost two weeks.
News of McDaniels’ hiring drew spirited reaction from Raiders and Patriots fans on social media. Raider Nation seemed a bit split on the choice.
And one New England fan took the news hard, recognizing what McDaniels has meant to the franchise — including helping Mac Jones throw for more than 3,500 yards as a rookie this past season.
“This hurts,” the fan tweeted.
Some clearly weren’t happy with the hire, favoring other candidates such as former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores.
McDaniels’ record as a head coach with the Denver Broncos (11–17 in 2009 and 2010) and his February 2018 decision to stay on the New England staff after initially accepting the head coaching job with the Indianapolis Colts also provided fodder for the doubters.
McDaniels will have plenty of weapons on offense at his disposal in Las Vegas, including quarterback Derek Carr, running back Josh Jacobs, wide receiver Hunter Renfrow and tight end Darren Waller.
