The Las Vegas Raiders made the surprising decision to fire head coach Josh McDaniels on Halloween night. However, reports indicate that players had already sensed his imminent departure following a pre-practice meeting just five days earlier.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the meeting occurred hours before Thursday’s practice. Players reportedly called it a “kumbaya meeting,” but it was far from harmonious. During the meeting, players and coaches took turns criticizing McDaniels’ coaching style, including overcorrecting on-field issues, consistently blaming players for play-calling problems, and holding unnecessarily long meetings.
Later that day during practice, McDaniels attempted to incorporate some of the feedback by playing music and refraining from commenting on the players’ performance. But according to Rapoport, McDaniels appeared to be a completely different person, described as “a shell of himself,” which was a stark contrast to his usual behavior. This drastic change in demeanor likely played a role in the Raiders’ decision to let him go, in addition to their 26-14 loss to the Detroit Lions on Monday night. The organization as a whole reportedly supported the firing.
Rapoport had previously mentioned the meeting
