There might be millions of reasons why Josh McDaniels received the dreaded vote of confidence.
McDaniels is in the first year of a four-year deal with the Raiders, and the team has gotten off to a disappointing 2-7 start, good for the second-worst record in the NFL. The head coach nonetheless got endorsed by owner Mark Davis earlier this week.
Veteran sports reporter Bill Plaschke believes he knows why. Speaking on ESPN’s “Around the Horn” on Tuesday, Plaschke attributed McDaniels’ job security to the organization’s financial status.
“I’m saying right now: Josh McDaniels will be the coach this year and next year,” Plaschke said. “Raiders don’t have the money to fire him, to pay him off. They’re cash-poor.”
Whereas many organizations are owned by titans of industry, Mark Davis inherited the Raiders from his father, the legendary Al Davis, and is not flush with outside income. He is hardly hurting for cash in the grand scheme of things, but paying out three years of McDaniels’ deal plus shelling out for his replacement may not come as easily to the Raiders as it would for some other franchises.
“As far as Josh goes, I have no issues,” Davis told the Las Vegas Review-Journal earlier this week. “I’m getting to know him a lot better. When you sign someone to a contract, don’t you expect him to fulfill the contract?
“I like Josh. I think he’s doing a fantastic job. That’s why I hired him. We did an exhaustive search and found the person we believe is going to bring the Raiders to greatness.”