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The NFL trade deadline came and went, and while many expected the Raiders to make some moves, it turned out to be a crazy day for a different reason. Owner Mark Davis made the surprising decision to fire coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler. Davis spoke to reporters on Wednesday night to explain his reasoning behind the decision.
According to Davis, the duo was let go because the team was heading in the wrong direction. He expressed his dissatisfaction with the Raiders' offense, which ranked 29th in the NFL in points scored and dead last in rushing yards per game.
Davis stated: "It just didn't seem like it was jelling...it just seemed like it was very important that we made a change." The firing of McDaniels has already led to other changes on the offense, including the firing of offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi and the decision to start Aidan O'Connell over Jimmy Garoppolo against the Giants.
Firing a coach mid-season is always a risk, but Davis is hoping it will spark a positive change for the team. "What I thought was, let's try to figure out a way to fix this and see what we can do...we still have a shot." Davis is hopeful that his team can replicate the success they had under interim coach Rich Bisaccia in 2021 when they made it to the playoffs with a 7-5 record over their final 12 games.
Pierce will get his chance to keep the job
To fill the interim coaching position, Davis chose Antonio Pierce, who has minimal NFL coaching experience but impressed Davis with his leadership qualities. Davis stated: "I got the feeling he was the right guy at the right time...someone who can lead and create and have the respect of the team."
Coincidentally, Pierce's NFL coaching debut will be against his former team, the Giants. The Raiders will face the Giants and Jets over the next two weeks, which are considered winnable games. If Pierce can lead the team to success, there is a possibility he could be considered for the permanent coaching job. However, if he doesn't get the job, there are seven other possible candidates that have been ranked on a list, between them Dallas Cowboys' DC Dan Quinn, Bengals OC Brian Callahan and embattled Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh.