After $60M Payout, Mike Vrabel’s Coach Confirms Stance on Move Away From Patriots

The Las Vegas Raiders became the first NFL team to make a head-coaching change in 2023 when they fired Josh McDaniels just 25 games into his tenure. The move came late on Halloween night, when the franchise released a statement announcing that both McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler had been dismissed.

When the Raiders brought McDaniels aboard in January 2022, they handed him a six-year contract reportedly worth about $10 million per year. The agreement put him slightly ahead of Mike Vrabel’s $9.5 million annual salary.

But with McDaniels’ early exit, Las Vegas remained on the hook for roughly $60 million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The team paid the remaining four-plus years of his contract.

Since returning to New England to work under Mike Vrabel, McDaniels has been adamant about where he stands on his future. When asked if he still harbors head-coaching ambitions, he shut the speculation down immediately, as revealed by Patriots reporter Phil Perry. “I love living in New England. That’s the short of it,” McDaniels said. “I just try to focus on now. Really enjoy coaching for Mike… That would be surprising if I moved my kids out of Westwood.”