After the Raiders lost to the Colts on Sunday, it was reasonable to believe that coach Josh McDaniels would feel some heat from team owner Mark Davis. Indianapolis was the laughing stock of the NFL, and with Las Vegas’ defeat, that mantle now belongs to Davis’ club.
But even after McDaniels lost to a coaching staff led by former Colts lineman and TV analyst Jeff Saturday, a first-time play-caller on offense in Parks Frazier, and former Raiders defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, Davis said his coach is doing a “fantastic” job, among other things.
Here’s more of what Davis told the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Ed Graney on Monday.
“As far as Josh goes, I have no issues,” Davis said. “I’m getting to know him a lot better. When you sign someone to a contract, don’t you expect him to fulfill the contract? I like Josh. I think he’s doing a fantastic job. You have to look at where we came from and where we’re going.
“We had a coach (Jon Gruden) with a 10-year contract and a 10-year plan, He had to leave the team last year. So we did an exhaustive search and found the person we believe is going to bring the Raiders to greatness in the future.”
The Raiders are 2-7 after having lofty expectations in the offseason thanks to the acquisition of star wide receiver Davante Adams and defensive end Chandler Jones. Las Vegas also re-signed quarterback Derek Carr, tight end Darren Waller, and WR Hunter Renfrow to new deals.
But Davis still thinks McDaniels is doing a fantastic job. He cites an abrupt end to the last Raiders regime led by Jon Gruden, who had to resign amid an email scandal.
So it sounds like Davis thinks a transition year was expected and he’s not surprised the Raiders have played so poorly under McDaniels. That’s hard to believe given the multiple contracts handed out in the offseason. It appeared that Las Vegas was attempting to build on its playoff appearance in 2021 rather than rebuild the roster.
Of course, McDaniels’ own contract is a factor as well. Davis even mentioned it in his statement. McDaniels reportedly has a four-year deal, and if Davis somehow decided to fire McDaniels this season, it would likely cost the Raiders money to part ways with him.
That’s probably one of the major factors at play here, if not the No. 1 factor. Based on that alone, it’s hard to imagine Davis getting rid of McDaniels after one year and starting over.
But did Davis have to say McDaniels is doing a “fantastic” job? Because results on the field are anything but fantastic. Davis still didn’t turn the temperature up on McDaniels at all in his public comments.
Will McDaniels lead the Raiders to greatness, as Davis predicts? Right now, it’s hard to see that happening.
McDaniels has the full backing of his boss though, and a roster to retool as he sees fit, along with general manager Dave Ziegler. The remaining eight games of the season may give us clues as to which players return next season, chief among them Carr, whom the Raiders can easily move on from after the campaign, thanks to Carr’s contract.
Because McDaniels is definitely here to stay, barring unforeseen circumstances — even if the Raiders play as poorly as they have been. Raiders fans and followers can only hope it leads to greatness as Davis confidently predicts.
