Josh McDaniels gets Another Chance as a Head Coach, This Time with the Raiders

Things had been awfully quiet for the Las Vegas Raiders since their season ended in the first round of the playoffs at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals. After firing John Gruden midseason and GM Mike Mayock after the season, the team needed a new head coach and general manager.

Would interim head coach Rich Bisaccia get a chance at the full-time role? Is their interest in Jim Harbaugh legitimate? As it turns out, Vegas is going in another direction.

On Sunday, the Raiders hired Patriots' offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as their new head coach. McDaniels is no stranger to the AFC West--having coached Denver from 2009 to 2010. That tenure ended disastrously, but second-time head coaches have had success in the NFL. Just look at Bill Belichick.

McDaniels' coaching career began in 1999 as a graduate assistant at Michigan State under Nick Saban. He joined the Patriots personnel department in 2001 and became a coach on the New England staff in 2002. The team promoted him to offensive coordinator in 2006, which is what earned him the Denver job.

After he was fired in Denver, he spent two years as the offensive coordinator for the Rams before returning to New England in the same role. He has been the Pats' offensive coordinator for the last nine years and has been a big part of their Super Bowl runs.

He was hired to coach the Indianapolis Colts in 2018 but changed his mind and stayed in New England.

Obviously, his work with Tom Brady for all those years and his work with Mac Jones this year were major selling points for McDaniels to receive a second chance to lead a team.

The team has also hired New England director of player personnel Dave Ziegler as its new general manager.

But a word of caution to the Raiders: Many people have been intrigued by bringing in people from the New England dynasty, but all it has really proven is that you can't recreate Bill Belichick. Yes, the Raiders have a good team, but the New England pairing still hasn't been able to work anywhere else.