Four months after firing, former HC gets more bad news from NFLPA report cards
Josh McDaniels was fired from his post as the Las Vegas Raiders head coach on Halloween day, nearly four months ago.
He may have trouble finding another head-coaching job if this year's NFLPA report cards are any indication of what kind of leader he is.
McDaniels began his NFL coaching career with the New England Patriots as a personnel assistant in 2001 and his first stint with the franchise lasted through the 2008 campaign. He was promoted to defensive assistant before switching to quarterbacks coach. He then earned a reputation of one of the better offensive minds in the game during his three-season run as New England's offensive coordinator from 2006-08.
The Patriots ranked seventh, first and eighth in points per game during that stretch, including the record-setting 2007 campaign that saw the team go 16-0 in the regular season. New England eventually fell to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII in arguably the biggest upset in the history of the big game.
McDaniels capitalized on his success with head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, earning his first lead gig with the Denver Broncos in 2009. He endured a rough, abbreviated stay in the Mile High City, though, going 8-8 in his first year and getting fired after a 3-9 start in 2010.
McDaniels' departure from the Broncos came in the wake of the team's videotaping scandal, where it was reported that the group's director of video operations recorded a San Francisco 49ers' walkthrough practice ahead of Week 8.
The 47-year-old wasn't unemployed for long, as he took a job as the then-St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator in 2011. McDaniels oversaw a unit that finished last in scoring at 12.1 points per game and the Rams went 2-14 that season.
He returned to the Patriots in 2012 and remained with the organization through the 2021 season as the offensive coordinator. McDaniels earned his fourth, fifth and sixth Super Bowl rings with the franchise following the 2014, 2016 and 2018 campaigns.
The Canton, Ohio native got his second chance as a head coach in January 2022 when he was hired by the Raiders. McDaniels went 6-11 in his first year and was 3-5 when he was let go last fall.
He holds just a 20-33 mark over parts of four seasons as a head coach and has never appeared in the postseason while at the helm.
Wednesday's NFLPA report cards are another indication that McDaniels may never get another chance at a lead role again.
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