Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis saw the direction his franchise was heading in midway through the 2023 season and decided to make some dramatic changes.
Davis finally decided to let go of general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels, much to the joy of the silver and black faithful. Ziegler and McDaniels were brought in to recreate the “Patriot Way” in Las Vegas, but the two failed spectacularly and forced Davis’ hand.
In the wake of the Ziegler and McDaniels firings, the Raiders announced linebackers coach Antonio Pierce as the interim head coach, with quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree taking over as the interim offensive coordinator after the team let go of Mick Lombardi.
The Las Vegas sideline is going to look very different come Sunday against the New York Giants, but it appears the organization is also experiencing some changes as COO Mike Newquist is also leaving his post via Adam Hill of Las Vegas Review-Journal:
The Raiders have parted ways with senior vice president and chief operating officer Mike Newquist, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed Thursday.
Newquist was hired in August. No reason for his dismissal was given.
It’s a peculiar move for the franchise and Newquist to make at this juncture of the season, so it’ll be interesting if more details come to light in the coming weeks. The business side of the Raiders has mostly been stable the past two years, though the sweeping moves by Davis may have something to do with Newquist’s departure.
From a football perspective, Newquist leaving doesn’t change much though it does leave fans to wonder if Davis isn’t done making changes to the franchise. After over a year of losing and subpar results, it appears Davis is looking for any way to turn the organization around.
Davante Adams believes it was time for change
Davante Adams’ sideline outburst in Week 8 summed up the fanbase’s feelings about the team’s outlook. Adams slammed his helmet after an offensive drive stalled out, and no one could blame him for being so frustrated, given how little he was involved.
Following Ziegler and McDaniels’ firings, Adams said that he felt like it was time for a change.
