Mark Davis has owned the Las Vegas Raiders since October 9, 2011. All that time, there’s been very little to cheer for during his tenure. The Silver and Black have made the playoffs twice in his time as the owner. As a result, The Athletic put him at the bottom of their ranking of NFL owners.
The 2023 NFL season appears to be another playoff-less year for the Raiders. Furthermore, Davis will again be looking for a new head coach and general manager to install a project that turns Las Vegas into a playoff contender in the AFC West.
Nonetheless, until that happens, the 68-year-old is in the bottom tier of owners in the league.
Why is Mark Davis ranked as one of the worst NFL owners?
Many might be asking themselves why Davis finds himself at No. 26 in The Athletic’s ranking of NFL owners. Well, it’s simple because of the Raiders’ record under his watch. The Silver and Black are 71-107 (.399) in their first 11 full seasons under Davis.
Additionally, he’s gone through several coaches and hasn’t made the right hire for the franchise. Davis hired and fired the likes of Dennis Allen (8-28), Jack Del Rio (25-23), Jon Gruden (11-21), and Josh McDaniels (9-16). He did inherit Hue Jackson upon becoming the Raiders owner and eventually fired him.
“If it feels nothing has changed substantively since Mark Davis took over for Al Davis, his Hall of Fame father, the on-field record would concur,” The Athletic’s Mike Sando wrote.
Will Davis finally get the subsequent hiring, right? Currently, interim head coach Antonio Pierce is attempting to hold onto the job. Still, if he doesn’t, it will be interesting to see what direction Davis takes, especially if former NFL quarterback Tom Brady gets a loud say in the decision-making process.
Raiders Notes: Which NFL owners are worse than Mark Davis?
Although the Raiders owner is near the bottom, he’s ranked 26. As a result, a few names rank worse than Davis. So, who are they, and do you agree that they’re worse than the owner who told his fans to “smarten up” earlier this season?
Josh Harris, ranked No. 32, recently purchased the Washington Commanders from the unpopular Daniel Snyder. At No. 31 is Shad Khan, the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Khan has a worse record (60-133) than Davis, so that’s not a surprise.
The Carolina Panthers’ David Tepper, the Cleveland Browns’ Jimmy Haslam, the Denver Broncos’ Greg Penner, and the Houston Texans’ Cal McNair are the other owners ranked below Davis.
If Davis wants to rank higher the next time The Athletic puts together their list of best and worst owners, he has to make decisions that begin with W’s and frequent playoff appearances. Besides hiring the general manager and head coach, Davis has to find his franchise quarterback, which alone would solve some of his issues.
*Top Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
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