The Las Vegas Raiders are on the hunt for a new head coach, and they apparently scratched one very notable name off their list right from the get go.
Mike Vrabel.
Vrabel, who is the new head coach of the New England Patriots, was largely viewed as a potential replacement for Antonio Pierce. However, the Raiders apparently had no interest in pursuing Vrabel.
Why? Because of their experience with Josh McDaniels, per Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed of The Athletic.
"As far as Vrabel, everyone with WiFi service assumed and reported that he was Brady’s guy and would be in the mix for the Raiders job," Tafur and Reed reported. "But Vrabel wasn’t on the Raiders’ interview list last week. One reason may surprise you. [Mark] Davis apparently is not interested in another go-round with 'The Patriots Way' after the failure of Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler two years ago, according to league sources."
Las Vegas hired McDaniels as head coach back in 2022. He went 6-11 during his debut campaign at the helm and was then fired midway through last year after a 3-5 start. Pierce replaced him on an interim basis and went 5-4, earning him the full-time job for 2024.
The Raiders also canned Ziegler when they let go of McDaniels.
Both men served in the Patriots organization for years, with McDaniels famously serving as offensive coordinator and helping New England win multiple Super Bowl titles.
However, McDaniels failed in both of his attempts as a head coach. He was also fired by the Denver Broncos back in 2010, 12 games into his second season.
Whether or not the Raiders' judgment in not bringing in any other ex-Patriots is sound is debatable. After all, Vrabel experienced considerable success in six seasons coaching the Tennessee Titans, going 54-45 with a pair of AFC South division titles and three playoff appearances.
Obviously, the McDaniels era, brief as it was, has left a sour taste in Davis' mouth. To an extent, it's understandable, but ruling out every single candidate with a connection to New England just because of McDaniels seems a bit myopic.
