The Raiders had high expectations for Josh McDaniels when he was hired as their head coach in 2021, but it seems that the players weren’t thrilled with his performance in his first season in Las Vegas. According to the NFL Players Association’s report card, the players felt that McDaniels was less likely to listen to them and kept them in the facility for longer hours than other head coaches around the league.
The players also noted that the long hours don’t necessarily correlate to winning, as seven of the top eight coaches in the 2022 survey who were rated as being most efficient with their players’ time made the playoffs this year. Despite the frustration with McDaniels, the players do like playing in Las Vegas, particularly the team’s high-quality facilities.
Multiple players from other teams have requested to “make the facilities more like Vegas,” the NFLPA said. The players believe that Raiders owner Mark Davis is willing to spend money to upgrade the operations if needed. Although the Raiders players appreciate the facilities, they wish McDaniels wouldn’t make them spend so much time there.
It remains to be seen if the Raiders will make any changes to the coaching staff this offseason, but it’s clear that the players aren’t as satisfied with McDaniels as they were when he was first hired. It will be interesting to see how the team responds to the NFLPA’s report card and if they make any changes to help improve the players’ experience.
