The Las Vegas Raiders are known for being an unorthodox NFL organization.
That is what led the team to hand out a $100 million contract to Jon Gruden a few years ago.
He has since resigned amid controversy and the team even made the postseason in 2021 under interim head coach Rich Bisaccia.
That has some believing Bisaccia should stick around with the interim tag removed.
But it appears Raiders owner Mark Davis has other plans.
#Raiders owner Mark Davis has had interest in Josh McDaniels for weeks. Hard to imagine he puts in the request without believing McDaniels would take the job. This all gets real tomorrow. https://t.co/IoFaERAxBX
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 27, 2022
The team has requested permission to interview Josh McDaniels this week.
If they are targeting McDaniels, and he accepts the interview, it seems like a done deal.
But the offensive coordinator’s past makes this a polarizing decision.
A Sketchy Past As A Head Coach
McDaniels was a young star over a decade ago and thus landed the head coaching job with the Denver Broncos in 2009.
He didn’t even last two full seasons as he was caught cheating by spying on opponents.
That was obviously a terrible look and after one season with the St. Louis Rams as offensive coordinator, he found his way back to the New England Patriots.
If the Raiders and Josh McDaniels get a deal done to make him the next Las Vegas HC, a potential OC replacement in New England could be former Patriots’ assistant Bill O’Brien.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 27, 2022
More controversy arose in early 2018 when he was announced as the new head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, only to go back on his decision soon after.
That destroyed his reputation in the league, but it appears his success in New England has the Raiders curious about his second shot at leading a team.
This is bad news for Bisaccia and clearly means the Raiders aren’t too interested in retaining him.
But Raiders fans shouldn’t get too excited about this possibility unless McDaniels physically shows up to a press conference announcing his hiring.
Until then, as he has made clear in the past, he could always just decide to stay in New England.
NEXT: 2 Changes The Raiders Will Make