Why was Josh McDaniels fired? Exploring Raiders’ situation, Jimmy Garoppolo’s future and 2024 NFL Draft plans

Josh McDaniels was fired overnight after the Las Vegas Raiders put up another pretty timid showing on Monday night. The McDaniels era has been underwhelming, to say the least. Owner Al Davis finally pulled the plug on it, although they didn't sell assets off at the deadline, so it's not a full clean house.

Nevertheless, both McDaniels and offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi were let go after the 3-5 start. Why is that? Here's what might have gone wrong and where the Raiders stand moving forward.

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Why did the Raiders fire Josh McDaniels?

The simple answer to why the Las Vegas Raiders fired Josh McDaniels is because he couldn't get them wins. He was 3-5 this season after a disappointing 6-11 season. 9-16 isn't going to get it done, so the Raiders moved on.

Josh McDaniels was let go

Another reason that both he and the offensive coordinator were let go is because the Raiders' offense was poor. Last year, they had Derek Carr and couldn't do all that much on the offensive side of the ball.

This year, with Jimmy Garoppolo, it was even worse. They are the only team in the NFL not to score 21 points in a single game this year. A roster with Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs, arguably both top five at their respective position, should be good.

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What does the future hold for Jimmy Garropolo?

Garoppolo obviously isn't extremely good, but if San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, an offensive guru, can make him look like a good quarterback, then an offensive-minded head coach like McDaniels should be able to make him passable as well.

Moving forward, this marks an interesting time in Las Vegas. They will probably be hiring a new head coach next year, perhaps one of the young offensive masterminds around the league. It would be a good time to pair that hire with a rookie quarterback.

The franchise has already decided to bench Garoppolo, and rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell will start in Week 9.

Next year's draft class is full of good quarterbacks. From Drake Maye to Shedeur Sanders and Michael Penix Jr., there could be a few good QBs to choose from in the Raiders' range. They're currently picking eighth overall in the draft.

That does make Garoppolo, who has a $6.7 million cap hit and could be $55 million in dead money, expendable. Obviously, that was a poor, short-sighted signing as he's under contract until 2026. A trade, if anyone will take him, or a cut could be on the horizon.

They opted not to trade Jacobs, Adams or anyone else for that matter. That offensive core with a new head coach and a rookie quarterback could be solid foundation. It's terrible in Las Vegas right now, but things don't look quite as bleak in the future.

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