Josh McDaniels has been through enough swings in his coaching career to make almost any storyline feel unstable. A little more than two years after the Raiders fired him, he was back on one of the biggest stages in football, coaching a young quarterback in a Super Bowl. Now, after one rough month in New England, he and third-year quarterback Drake Maye are trying to clean up an offense that has gone nowhere fast.
That backdrop makes Sunday’s game against the Raiders feel like a possible reset point. McDaniels and Maye need a response, and if they get one, plenty of the early-season noise will start to fade.
It also brings back one of the most debated decisions from McDaniels’ time in Las Vegas: the quarterback call that many blamed him for, even though it may not have been as simple as it looked.
When the Raiders moved on from Derek Carr heading into the 2023 draft, they were desperate for a new answer at quarterback. McDaniels and then-general manager Dave Ziegler ended up signing Jimmy Garropolo, a move that did not work out, and the two reportedly disagreed about the top quarterback in that draft class.
“Josh McDaniels was the decision maker and he was willing to [trade] for Bryce Young,” Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast in November of 2023.
“The interesting part was Dave Ziegler, the General Manager, thought height [and] durability were issues with Bryce. He liked him as a player and liked him as a guy but didn’t think he was worthy there.
He wanted to go up and get C.J. Stroud.”
For a long time, McDaniels took heat from Raiders fans for preferring Young over Stroud. But the picture looks different now. Young has turned into one of the league’s bright young quarterbacks this season, while Stroud hasn’t won a game in 2026.
Stroud has not exactly been bad, but Young has been the more explosive player and is tracking toward the best season of his career by a wide margin.
McDaniels’ overall record in New England still doesn’t come down to one quarterback debate, and the reasons that offense has fallen apart this year remain murky. Even so, the old Las Vegas critique looks a little different in light of how Young has played.
And if the Raiders get what they need on Sunday, McDaniels and the Patriots offense will stay in the kind of slump that leaves that old argument sitting in the background for at least another week.
In Other News...
Raiders Fast Start Is Hiding A Bigger Problem On Offense
The Raiders early offensive rhythm under Klint Kubiak has been encouraging, but the defense they are seeing is making life a lot harder than the fast start might suggest. Opponents have been crowding the line and daring Las Vegas to beat them another way, which has cramped the running game and put more of the burden on the passing attack. Kirk Cousins has handled the short and intermediate stuff well, but the offense has not consistently stressed teams vertically, leaving some of the bigger-picture issues buried under the good vibes.
Brock Bowers has helped keep things moving by working in a variety of spots and giving the Raiders a reliable target in recent games. His versatility has added a useful layer to the offense, especially when the ground game gets bogged down and the passing game needs easy completions to stay on schedule. Even so, the bigger test for this unit is still ahead, because until Las Vegas proves it can punish stacked fronts and threaten deeper down the field, the opening burst may be hiding more than it reveals. [Read more 🡒]
Maxx Crosby Trade Buzz Puts Raiders At Center Of A Huge Debate
The Cowboys lopsided loss to Tampa Bay only turned up the volume on an already familiar conversation around Maxx Crosby, whose name keeps surfacing whenever Dallas pass rush comes up short. Jerry Jones sounded disappointed after the game, and the broader debate around the Cowboys defensive issues has only made the Raiders edge rusher look like the kind of player who could change the picture fast.
For Las Vegas, the noise is hard to ignore because Crosby remains one of the franchises defining players and a key part of what the Raiders are trying to build. Even with the speculation growing around a possible deal and the idea of Dallas dangling future first-round picks, the situation still feels more like a leaguewide conversation than a move with real momentum, especially with Crosby making it clear where he wants to be. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Head To New England With 3 Players Under Pressure
The Raiders are heading east looking to steady themselves after the loss to the Chiefs, and this trip to New England brings a different kind of test. With the Patriots waiting, Las Vegas will need several key players to clean up recent issues and set a better tone on both sides of the ball, especially in a game that could hinge on how well the Raiders handle New Englands structure and tempo.
Among the names drawing the most attention are White and Walker, two players expected to have a meaningful say in how this matchup unfolds. Their recent work has put them under the spotlight, and against a Patriots team that can make opponents work for every yard, their impact may determine whether the Raiders can turn the page from last week and leave the East Coast with something to build on. [Read more 🡒]