2 Ex-Raiders Head Coaches Land Coveted Coaching Jobs

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Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.

The Las Vegas Raiders have cycled through a lot of coaches since Mark Davis took over ownership of the franchise in 2011. While many have failed as head coaches, the team did take chances on high-end coordinators.

Perhaps the worst head coaching hire Davis has made was Josh McDaniels. He didn’t even make it through two full seasons as the head coach before he was fired. He decided to take the 2024 season off after the Raiders debacle but is coming back to the NFL.

The New England Patriots announced that McDaniels is returning to the franchise to serve as Mike Vrabel’s offensive coordinator. This move didn’t come as a surprise as Vrabel and McDaniels have known each other for a very long time.

McDaniels is also incredibly familiar with the Patriots as he got his start with the franchise in 2001 and worked his way up to the position of offensive coordinator. He might be one of the worst head coaches in NFL history having been fired by two different franchises without finishing two full seasons, but he’s a strong offensive coordinator.

This is a great hire for Vrabel as there’s no risk of McDaniels bolting for a head coaching job in the near future. However, McDaniels has never shown he can have any kind of success away from Bill Belichick. Vrabel played for Belichick but he’s a different coach. It remains to be seen if he can get the best out of McDaniels.

Dennis Allen Lands Bears DC Job

McDaniels wasn’t the only former Raiders head coach to land a coveted coordinator job. Dennis Allen is joining the Chicago Bears as their defensive coordinator. It’s the first major hire of Ben Johnson’s tenure as head coach.

Similar to McDaniels, Allen has had two chances to be a head coach and failed. He went 8-28 during his time with the Raiders, which is one of the worst runs for a coach in NFL history. He was better with the New Orleans Saints but still ended up getting fired this season after a 2-7 start.

While he’s clearly not a head coach, he’s a great defensive coordinator and has helped lead some of the best defenses in the NFL. As is the case with McDaniels, Johnson isn’t going to have to worry about Allen leaving for a head coaching job. Considering Johnson’s offensive prowess, landing an experienced defensive playcaller like Allen is a big deal for Chicago.

Raiders Need to Find Long-Term Answer at Head Coach

Allen and McDaniels landing coordinator jobs is a reminder of the failures the Raiders have had trying to find a long-term answer at head coach. Since Davis took over, Jon Gruden is the only coach to last more than three full seasons in the position.

If the Raiders keep having turnover at head coach, they aren’t going to be able to build a winner. That’s why they pushed hard to hire Johnson. The fact that he turned them down may mean the team still won’t have a long-term answer at head coach this year. At the very least, they can hire an experienced coach like Pete Carroll and have him build up the program for a few seasons and then be better equipped to land a top candidate in the future.