Firing Josh McDaniels & Dave Ziegler Will Cost Raiders Close To $85M

Adam Schefter reports that the decision from Raiders owner Mark Davis to fire HC Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler will cost the team approximately $85 million. 

The Raiders can offset some of this, depending on whether other teams hire McDaniels, Zieger and other members of the team’s coaching staff. Even so, a source described the decision to Schefter as “an expensive move nonetheless.”

Schefter points out that the Raiders will incur even more costs, as they will now need to rework the contracts of interim HC Antonio Pierce and interim GM Champ Kelly.

Sources around the team have told Schefter that Davis isn’t concerned about the cost incurred from the firings, but is instead focused on “putting together a winning organization”

McDaniels, 47, began his NFL coaching career with the Patriots as a personnel assistant back in 2001. He worked his way up to offensive coordinator in New England before he departed for the Broncos head-coaching job in 2009.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go very well for McDaniels with the Broncos and he was fired during his second year with the team. After a brief stint with the Rams as their offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, McDaniels returned to the Patriots and has been running their offense ever since.

McDaniels agreed to become the head coach of the Colts a few years ago before later backing out of the agreement to remain in New England. He also drew interest last in 2020 from the Browns, Panthers, and Giants, but elected to stay with the Patriots. He finally took a job with the Raiders in 2022. 

Since taking the Raiders’ job last year, McDaniels has led to the team to a record of 9-16 (36.0 percent).

Ziegler, 46, began his career as a special teams coordinator at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. From there, he worked as the WRs coach and special teams at Iona College and John Carroll University.

Ziegler held roles in the Broncos’ scouting department before he was hired by the Patriots. New England promoted him to assistant director of player personnel in 2020 and then eventually director of player personnel in 2021, replacing Texans GM Nick Caserio.

From there, the Raiders hired Ziegler as their general manager in January of 2022, replacing former GM Mike Mayock.