Raiders' Mark Davis on Firing Josh McDaniels: 'We Were Going in the Wrong Direction'

In his tenure as owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, Mark Davis has seen a fair share of head coaches come in and out of his team's facility. And Josh McDaniels is just the latest casualty after being fired shortly after the NFL trade deadline.

McDaniels wasn't in the job for long, having gotten hired prior to the 2022 season. But after starting his second year 3-5, Davis seemed to know that things had run its course for the coach as well as general manager Dave Ziegler.

"Unfortunately, I had great hopes for Josh and Dave," Davis told ESPN's Paul Gutierrez on Wednesday. "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."

Monday night's loss to the Detroit Lions—with yet another lethargic performance—was the final straw for McDaniels, who was hired based off his track record as an elite offensive coordinator with the New England Patriots—with whom he won six Super Bowl titles.

The week before, Vegas lost to the undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent and the lowly Chicago Bears.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg of some really embarrassing losses the Raiders have had under McDaniels over the past year and a half.

McDaniels even hand-picked quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo—who he worked with in New England—to lead his offense next to elite skill position players in Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs.

The results were less than dazzling, Vegas ranked 31st in the NFL in total offense, in terms of average yards per game entering the week.

As for Ziegler, he took over as general manager in January 2022, replacing Mike Mayock, who only lasted a few years himself.

Now, Davis has pivoted to former NFL linebacker Antonio Pierce as interim head coach and assistant general manager Champ Kelly to take over Ziegler's old job.

"Seemed like a fresh approach," Davis said of the decision. "Seemed like the adjustment we need at this time. I was impressed."