McDaniels has endured extreme highs and lows in his coaching career

Storylines can change quickly in the NFL and one of the best examples of that dynamic is the career of former Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.

McDaniels is regarded as one of the worst head coaches in Raiders history, but just a little more than two years after McDaniels was fired by the Raiders, he was coaching one of the most exciting young quarterbacks in the league in a Super Bowl.

McDaniels was one of the hottest coordinators in the NFL at the end of last year, but after getting boat raced by the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, McDaniels and third-year quarterback Drake Maye suddenly can’t get anything right, and no one seems to be able to figure out what’s wrong with the New England offense.

McDaniels and Maye desperately need a bounce back game against the Raiders on Sunday. If that happens, some of what has played out in the first month of the season will be forgotten.

So in the spirit of what has been forgotten, it’s only fair to revisit one of McDaniels’ most interesting draft mistakes (or so it had been considered) that is looking a lot better today than it did three years ago.

McDaniels and his GM in Las Vegas didn’t agree on young QB

Leading up to the 2023 draft, McDaniels made the decision to move on from Derek Carr, and the Raiders desperately needed a new plan at quarterback.

McDaniels and then-GM Dave Ziegler decided to sign veteran quarterback Jimmy Garropolo (which ended up being a mistake), and the two reportedly didn’t agree on the no. 1 quarterback in the 2023 draft class.

“Josh McDaniels was the decision maker and he was willing to [trade] for Bryce Young,” Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast in November of 2023.

“The interesting part was Dave Ziegler, the General Manager, thought height [and] durability were issues with Bryce. He liked him as a player and liked him as a guy but didn’t think he was worthy there. He wanted to go up and get C.J. Stroud.”

For years, McDaniels took grief from fans for wanting to draft Young over Stroud, but as the NFL landscape is constantly changing, Young has emerged this year as one of the bright young quarterbacks in the league – while Stroud hasn’t won a game in 2026.

Stroud hasn’t necessarily played poorly, but Young has been dynamic and is on his way to the best season of his NFL career, by far.

Usually, it’s about more than one player or one coach, and for McDaniels, it still isn’t completely clear why his offense in New England has been such a disaster this year.

But if all goes as planned for the Raiders, McDaniels and the Patriots’ offense will continue to be a disaster for at least one more week.

x: @raidersbeat