Halloween often serves as a spooky evening, highlighted by horror movies, creative costumes, and droves of candy. For Raider Nation, nothing was scarier than the prospect of riding out the rest of 2023 with Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler at the helm. Luckily, like Michael Myers himself, Raiders owner Mark Davis moved like an assassin in the night.
A Halloween Miracle For Raider Nation
The news of McDaniels’ and Ziegler’s firings hit social media, and there was an overwhelming sense of relief and joy emanating from the Silver and Black fan base. At long last, the witch is dead. Only one-and-a-half seasons into a six-year deal, and mere hours after an uninspiring press conference, McDaniels got canned alongside his partner in crime, Ziegler.
It is uncertain exactly when the Raiders officially fired the current regime, but one NFL insider is shining a light on Tuesday’s events. Long-time reporter Josina Anderson shared a quote she heard from another team that was interested in making a trade with Vegas.
According to Anderson, the Raiders didn’t even answer the phone on speculative trade offers. When asked about the fallout from these firings, the anonymous team stated, “[That] explains why they ghosted us … Nobody responded yesterday.”
Will The Raiders Regret Not Making Any Moves Ahead Of The NFL Trade Deadline?
The assumption was that the front office was too busy getting fired to make trades. Or even more likely, Mark Davis shut down any idea of potential trades, knowing that his next general manager and head coach should be the ones making those decisions.
Elite players like Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby will serve as two of the primary reasons to take this Raiders job. Allowing McZieg’s to trade either one for pennies on the dollar would only further exacerbate the issues in Sin City.
Still, it begs the question: why was this move made right now? The easy answer is that McDaniels and Ziegler simply aren’t cut out to lead a group of men. Keeping either one around any longer would alienate those in the locker room more than they already are. Frankly, it had to happen to salvage the morale of the roster.
But firing both men now makes for loads of questions that we won’t find an answer to anytime soon. Who will be the next general manager? Or head coach? Or quarterback? These questions will need solidified answers in the offseason, but as of today, it is nice to know that Dave Ziegler, Josh McDaniels, and Jimmy Garoppolo are not the answers to those questions.
The Future In Vegas Is Murky, But At Least There Is A Future
Interim head coach Antonio Pierce will guide the Raiders through the remainder of the 2023 campaign. Champ Kelly assumes the general manager role, also with an interim title, as the duo aims to replicate what Rich Bisaccia’s bunch did in 2021 following the firing of Jon Gruden.
The future is still murky in Las Vegas. The rest of the regular season might be a headache, but let’s rejoice over the reality that we don’t have to listen to any more of Josh McDaniels’ schtick. Maybe now he will scurry back to Bill Belichick and quit trying to be something he’s not. Either way, it isn’t the Raiders problem anymore.
Hallelujah for that.
*Top Photo: Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports