Report: How Dave Ziegler Could Have Saved The Las Vegas Raiders

Yet, it seems like, when one pulls back the curtain a little, lumping Ziegler into this company is perhaps undue criticism of the former Patriot. According to a new deep-dive, it seems like the problem was less Ziegler’s ability as a talent evaluator and strategic player, but his friendship with the man he hired as the next Raiders head coach, Josh McDaniels.

What Happened Between Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler?

Disagreements, first and foremost.

Whilst Dave Ziegler officially had the final say, it seemed like he was often unable to get his pal, Josh McDaniels out of his, some would say rigid, way of thinking. Often Ziegler would want one thing, McDaniels another, and Ziegler would have to be the one to acquiesce. An anonymous league source from New England put it quite bluntly in the article when he claimed:

Dave is too nice of a guy to be here

And it seems like that was a lot of his undoing. Whilst seemingly managing to keep their strong friendship intact, the duo butted heads on multiple issues, from how to manage being around owner Mark Davis – where Ziegler was confident and personable, and McDaniels was tense and distant – to personnel decisions. The most crucial of which – the new crop of quarterbacks entering the NFL in 2023. Carpenter states:

Evaluating all of the QBs in the draft, Ziegler loved Stroud.

“Dave felt he was a generational talent, and Kelly loved him. Z had done his research. He knew the cost to move up to No. 1 and even No. 2.

“He felt the cost was cheap, and he was willing to do almost anything that didn’t include Maxx Crosby. He and Josh agreed that the price of No. 1 was too high, but Z wanted to move up to No. 2 and grab Stroud. He could have made the deal. He also knew Stroud would allow McDaniels to show the fans and the owner that an identity would be established. Josh was willing to move up for Bryce Young, but as expected, he went No. 1, and Stroud to the Raiders had long been dead.”

But if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we’d all have a merry Christmas. And right now, the mistakes of the past came back to bite both Ziegler and McDaniels, who are both left without employment. Both will undoubtedly find work at another franchise, likely in high ranking capacities, but it is always interesting to have a better look at what happened and think about what could have been. Have a read of the article, it really is very good.