The Las Vegas Raiders have fired head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager David Ziegler, the team announced on Tuesday.
“After much thought about what the Raiders need to move forward, I have decided to part ways with Josh and Dave. I want to thank them both for their hard work and wish them and their families nothing but the best,” Raiders owner Mark Davis said in the statement.
Las Vegas named linebackers coach Antonio Pierce and assistant general manager Champ Kelly as interim head coach and interim general manager respectively.
Pierce becomes the Raiders’ eighth head coach – and third interim – in the last 13 years.
The team said it was “committed to undergo a comprehensive search” for both a new head coach and general manager once the season has finished.
The firing of McDaniels and Ziegler brings to an end what has been a hugely disappointing era for the storied franchise.
"The short story and the matter of fact is I grew up in Compton, California. I was born a Raider. I was born with the Raiders rolling in the Coliseum in L.A. I was rolling with N.W.A. talking Straight Out of Compton, rocking Raider hats. So, when an opportunity came to work with Josh (McDaniels), (defensive coordinator) Pat Graham and Dave (Ziegler), I jumped on it. So, that's what set me up for this. I was born this way."
The downside to Pierce's promotion from linebackers coach is what necessitated it: Las Vegas fired McDaniels and Ziegler in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, roughly 24 hours after Las Vegas lost to the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football. The changes came swiftly, with assistant GM Champ Kelly filling Ziegler's place as interim general manager, and Pierce taking over in a move Raiders owner Mark Davis said he made because he "felt he was the right guy at the right time," per the Las Vegas Review Journal's Vincent Bonsignore.
The fourth-round pick already has made one start this season, in Week 4 when Garoppolo was out with a concussion. O'Connell completed 24 of 29 passes for 238 yards with an INT and took seven sacks in the 24-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
When Garoppolo missed his second game of the season due to a back injury, McDaniels elected to start veteran Brian Hoyer against the Chicago Bears. The decision turned out disastrous, with the veteran QB throwing two INTs and mustering just 129 yards passing in the blowout loss on Oct. 22.
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