Raiders give new meaning to poverty franchise with latest Josh McDaniels report

The latest report as to why the Las Vegas Raiders can’t fire Josh McDaniels illustrates how the franchise went for broke with Jon Gruden. 

The Las Vegas Raiders had an undeniably difficult year in 2021 for a variety of reasons. The fact that the team made the playoffs is a testament to the players’ grit and the leadership of Rich Bisaccia, but they placed a tumultuous path to getting there. The scandal surrounding Jon Gruden and his subsequent resignation was something the franchise wasn’t planning for — not with his ten-year, $100 million contract.

According to CBS Sports’ John Breech, “the former Raiders coach was still owed nearly $40 million when he resigned” as of October 2021, when the organization reached a settlement with the disgraced former coach.

While it’s unclear how much Gruden’s settlement punt a dent into the organization, it certainly didn’t help the organization, as they then had to find and hire a new head coach in Josh McDaniels. It remains unknown how much McDaniels is earning this year, according to NBC Sports, but what has come out is that the Raiders don’t have the money to pay anyone else right now.

NFL reporter Dov Kleiman shared why the Raiders can’t fire McDaniels, even if they wanted to, per LA Times’ Bill Plaschke.

Because the team is “cash poor”, McDaniels will be “the coach this year and next year,” according to Plaschke.

The Raiders are a true poverty franchise with latest Josh McDaniels tidbit

According to Spotrac, the Raiders have an estimated $8.3 million in cap space in 2022, with an estimated $30.2 million available for the 2023 season. But there are expected to be notable gaps on the roster, such as defensive end Clelin Ferrell, who was on the trading block earlier this season because he and former Raiders safety Johnathan Abram were fits in Gruden’s regime, not McDaniels’.

It’s rare for a team to fire a head coach after one season, although the Cleveland Browns have been no stranger to breaking that rule in recent years. Just like the Russell Wilson Broncos savior myth, the notion that Josh McDaniels would create a Tom Brady-Randy Moss offense with Derek Carr and Davante Adams has spectacularly backfired.

Considering the investment and the success McDaniels saw in New England, it’s possible the Raiders would opt to give him one more season to turn things around and adapt the team to his scheme rather than Gruden’s. But now, it appears the Raiders don’t have a choice but to keep McDaniels — at least for now.