Raiders hire Patriots' Dave Ziegler as GM, expected to bring on Josh McDaniels as head coach
The Las Vegas Raiders have hired Patriots executive Dave Ziegler as their general manager and are expected to bring on New England's offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as their head coach.
The Raiders announced Ziegler's hiring Sunday afternoon. They interviewed McDaniels on Saturday and are finalizing a contract with the longtime Bill Belichick assistant, according to the NFL Network. Ziegler and McDaniels have previously been reported as a package deal.
The #Raiders are expected to hire #Patriots de facto GM Dave Ziegler as their new GM, per, @MikeGarafolo and @TomPelissero. He was key in New England’s fast turnaround, now turns his attention to Las Vegas. The next step is slated to be the hire of Josh McDaniels as head coach.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 30, 2022
McDaniels hire means Bisaccia is out
McDaniels being hired would mean that interim head coach Rich Bisaccia, who took over for Jon Gruden midseason and led the Raiders to a playoff berth, will not be retained as head coach. Bisaccia has been linked to new Bears coach Matt Ebeflus' staff as special teams coordinator in Chicago in the event of his Las Vegas exit.
Ziegler replaces Mike Mayock, who was fired as general manager on Jan. 17. He spent nine years in New England's scouting department and was promoted last season to director of player personnel. He's credited alongside Belichick with the offseason moves that helped the Patriots return to the playoffs following a one-year absence.
McDaniels, 45, spent 13 seasons as New England's offensive coordinator over two stints from 2006-21. He was the head coach of the Denver Broncos from 2009-10 and spent a season as the St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator in 2011 before returning to New England. He was on the verge of accepting the Indianapolis Colts head coaching job in 2018 before backing out of the deal at the last minute.
