Las Vegas Raiders expected to hire former New England Patriots OC Josh McDaniels as head coach

The Las Vegas Raiders are hiring New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as their new head coach, a source told PFF on Sunday.

The Raiders are also expected to hire Patriots director of player personnel Dave Ziegler as their general manager.

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McDaniels arrived in Las Vegas on Friday and interviewed with the team on Saturday. He’s served as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator since 2012.

This is McDaniels’ third shot at a head coaching job. After working in the Patriots’ scouting department and coaching staff from 2001 to 2008, he served as the Denver Broncos’ head coach in 2009 and 2010, compiling an 11-17 record before being fired. He then spent one year as the St. Louis Rams’ offensive coordinator before returning to New England.

McDaniels agreed to become the Indianapolis Colts’ head coach in 2018 and the move was even announced by the team. He withdrew from the job the same day, however, electing to stay with the Patriots.

The longtime Patriots offensive coordinator has held out for an ideal head coaching job, and there’s a belief that he and Ziegler could put together an impressive coaching staff and scouting department in Las Vegas.

McDaniels has worked with former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, ex-Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and New York Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. Flores and Graham are still interviewing for NFL head coaching jobs, while Martindale has reportedly garnered interest for other defensive coordinator positions.

Ziegler has been with the Patriots since 2013, climbing the ladder from assistant director of pro scouting to director of pro scouting, assistant director of player personnel and director of player personnel. He previously worked with the Denver Broncos, where he crossed paths with McDaniels. Both played football at John Carroll University in the 1990s.

New England Patriots: Expected points added (EPA) per play and rank since 2012 (regular season only)

The Patriots’ offense ranks 12th in expected points added (EPA) per player this season. The unit ranks third in EPA per play since McDaniels returned to New England in 2012.

The Patriots must now find a new offensive coordinator. One option is Alabama offensive coordinator and former Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien, who took over for McDaniels as the Patriots’ offensive playcaller from 2009 to 2011.

Meanwhile, McDaniels, Ziegler and the Raiders must now make a decision on quarterback Derek Carr, who’s entering the final year of his contract. Carr led the Raiders to a 10-7 record this season while ranking 12th among quarterbacks in PFF grade.

Rich Bisaccia served as the Raiders’ interim head coach after Jon Gruden resigned in October following the discovery of his racist, homophobic and misogynistic emails. The Raiders fired general manager Mike Mayock after their season concluded with a wild-card round loss.