National Football League

Mark Davis explains why he fired Josh McDaniels, Dave Ziegler midseason

Published Nov. 2, 2023 4:03 p.m. ET

The Las Vegas Raiders' decision to fire head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler after fewer than two years on the job came as a surprise to many. But for owner Mark Davis, the decision to let them go was clear.

In the past couple of days, Davis has explained how he came to his decision in a handful of interviews with several outlets. His remarks all have a common theme, expressing disappointment in the Raiders' 3-5 start after going 6-11 last year.

"I had great hopes for Josh and Dave," Davis told ESPN. "It just seemed we were going in the wrong direction. So, with the trade deadline, I just felt it was time to make a change — time to make a move."

Davis expressed a similar sentiment to The Athletic, saying he "just didn't see the progress" and instead "saw regression."

One of the biggest areas of concern for Davis was the team's offensive struggles through the first half of this season. Las Vegas is second-to-last in total offense and third-to-last in scoring, as the offense has failed to score 20 points in any of the Raiders' first eight games of the season. (Las Vegas scored 21 points in its Week 6 win over New England, but two points came on a safety).

Those numbers are a notable drop from where the Raiders were last season, when they ranked 12th in total offense (352.5 yards per game) and scoring (23.2 points per game). The big difference from last season and this season was that the Raiders opted to move on from longtime starting quarterback Derek Carr, signing Jimmy Garoppolo in free agency. Garoppolo is statistically among the worst QBs so far this season, throwing for 1,205 yards, seven touchdowns and a league-high nine interceptions. He has also missed two-plus games due to injury.

Davis didn't think McDaniels, the former longtime Patriots offensive coordinator, would oversee an offense that would produce that poorly.

"I was really excited because I believe Josh McDaniels has a very fertile offensive mind, and I've seen him in the past be able to adjust to so many different variables," Davis told The Athletic. "I thought that he could bring a fresh, explosive offensive mind to the Raiders."

The team's offensive inefficiency played a big role in Davis deciding to make a change.

"It just didn't seem like it was jelling," Davis told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "And as you watched it, it just seemed like it was very important that we made a change."

While Davis pointed to on-field results as the main reason for his decision to dismiss McDaniels and Ziegler, FOX Sports NFL Insider Peter Schrager indicated on "The NFL on FOX Podcast" that fan displeasure may have played a role as well.

"There are not a lot of people that are known as Davis whisperers," Schrager said. "I think he kind of operates to the beat of his own drum and on his own a little bit. When the Las Vegas Aces won that WNBA championship, they had a parade and there was a strong faction of people that showed up for the parade. Davis had to confront multiple people with giant 'Fire Josh McDaniels' signs. … I wonder if that played a role in it."

What's next for the Raiders after firing their coach and GM?

Schrager also pointed to player displeasure as another reason why the team likely moved on from McDaniels and Ziegler.

"They've got high-priced players and a lot of them don't seem too happy," Schrager said. "A couple of them — Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams — have been very vocal. … I think Jacobs' comment was, ‘I don't do the offense,' and Adams said he doesn't get enough touches. … From what we're hearing in the post-script, Mark Davis started talking to the players quite a bit.

"In this instance, maybe the players' opinions — more than the coach and GM, who are typically going to say, ‘Here's what the story is' — were really heard."

The team named linebackers coach and former NFL player Antonio Pierce as interim coach on Wednesday while rookie Aidan O'Connell will reportedly be the Raiders' starting quarterback moving forward, unseating Garoppolo.

Davis told ESPN that hiring Pierce for the interim spot "seemed like a fresh approach."

"I wasn't very familiar with Antonio over the course of the last year-and-a-half or so, but I'd gotten to know him a little bit," Davis told The Athletic. "When I saw Antonio's background and résumé, I was intrigued. So when I sat down with him and interviewed him, I just felt he was the right guy at the right time to fit the role that I was looking for."

Davis didn't set any expectations for the rest of the season for Pierce, O'Connell, interim offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree and interim general manager Champ Kelly.

"I have no idea," Davis told ESPN. "That's why they play the games. My job, my role is to give them all the tools possible for them to succeed. Once they're the head coach and general manager, they're the ones making the decisions."

The Raiders host the New York Giants (2-6) on Sunday before taking on the New York Jets, the Mami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of their Week 13 bye.

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