The Las Vegas Raiders are no strangers to off-field drama as they have dealt with several unique cases over the years.
The Raiders can’t seem to enjoy a normal regular season as they have been dealing with recent social media posts from Chandler Jones. Jones blasted Las Vegas for allegedly not allowing him to work out at the team facility as well as contacting the mother of his child.
Jones shared text messages that seemed to be sent to head coach Josh McDaniels and later went on to say that he wanted to talk to Aldon Smith and Antonio Brown about their problems with the organization. He later ended his rant by saying he didn’t want to play for Dave Ziegler and McDaniels.
It was a bizarre occurrence that seemed completely unprovoked, and when asked about Jones’ comments, McDaniels refused to say much other than that he and the team have already addressed it via Vic Tafur of The Athletic:
McDaniels said Chandler Jones is not here today and wouldn’t say if he is playing in the opener Sunday. “It’s a personal situation and a private matter. We have dealt with it and I am not going to talk about it.” #Raiders
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) September 6, 2023
This is probably one of the last things McDaniels and the rest of the organization want to be thinking about with their Week 1 matchup against the Denver Broncos coming up in a few days. Jones was brought in to be a steady veteran presence, but his social media outburst should be considered the complete opposite of that.
While no other details have been shared, it’s fair to assume that Jones will be listed as out for the game against the Broncos as the two sides continue to sort things out internally. If Jones does indeed end up sitting, it adds more pressure on Maxx Crosby and Tyree Wilson to bring the heat off the edge and create opportunities for the defense to wreak havoc.
Josh McDaniels betting favorite to be first head coach fired in 2023
McDaniels faces a lot of pressure to turn things around in his second year manning the sidelines. He needs to prove he is the man for the job as Mark Davis wouldn’t be happy having to watch his team miss the postseason for a second consecutive season.
Although McDaniels has a better roster on paper, he is still the betting favorite to be the first head coach fired in 2023.
