Raiders Owner Mark Davis Fired His GM And Multiple Coaches… And It Will Cost Him $85 Million

ByJoey Heldon November 7, 2023inArticles›Sports News

After making the playoffs in 2021, the Las Vegas Raiders traded for Davante Adams , one of the top wide receivers in the NFL. The move didn’t pay off, as the Raiders finished 6-11 and missed the postseason. This offseason, the Raiders made a switch at quarterback. Longtime Raider Derek Carr was out, and Jimmy Garoppolo was in. That move hasn’t really worked out either, and the Raiders entered the midway point of the season tied for last place in the AFC West.

That poor performance was enough for Raiders owner Mark Davis to make another change — this time in the middle of the season.

Davis fired his general manager, Dave Ziegler, head coach, Josh McDaniels , and additional members of the coaching staff. And it’s costing him big money to do so.

Raiders Owner Mark Davis Fired His GM And Multiple Coaches… And It Will Cost Him $85 Million - 1

Josh McDaniels (L) and Mark Davis (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

The firings will cost a collective $85 million . There will be some offsets and mitigations, so Davis may get some slight financial relief. Still, he will have to spend tons of money to pay people to go away. The Raiders are also restructuring the contracts of interim head coach Antonio Pierce and interim GM Champ Kelly.

“It just seemed we were going in the wrong direction,” Davis told ESPN earlier in the month. “So, with the trade deadline, I just felt it was time to make a change, time to make a move.”

The Raiders lost 30-12 to a Bears team that hadn’t won a home game in over a calendar year. The Raiders then lost 26-14 to the Detroit Lions in a nationally televised “Monday Night Football” game. After those two defeats, Davis had seen enough.

It’s yet another change for a franchise that hasn’t found much stability since its last division title, all the way back in 2002. Davis took over as the Raiders owner after his dad, Al Davis , died in 2011. Pierce will be the eighth head coach the Raiders have had on the sidelines since the younger Davis has owned the team.

Maybe these changes will help salvage the Raiders season or at least set them up for future success. The Raiders walloped the Giants (another team having a disappointing year) in the first game after the firings.

Either way, Davis has made it clear: He’s not afraid to spend lots of money to try and field a winner — even if those decisions end up backfiring.

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The Raiders Owe $50 Million To Five Different Fired Coaches Next Season

ByJoey Heldon January 6, 2026inArticles›Sports News

The Las Vegas Raiders will have the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. However, they’ll be approaching that selection with a new head coach in tow. After finishing the season with a 3-14 record, the Raiders fired head coach Pete Carroll just one year into his contract.

Carroll’s Raiders tenure started off promising enough with a road win over the New England Patriots, who ended up being one of the best teams in the AFC. But the Raiders could never build on that Week 1 victory. The team proceeded to lose 14 of its next 15 games before ending the season with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs—and even that game required a 60-yard field goal from Daniel Carlson in the closing seconds to secure a Raiders victory.

Carroll still had two years remaining on his deal, so the Raiders will owe him a buyout of $16 million next season, even though he’s no longer coaching. That means the Raiders are paying five different coaches a collective $50 million next season, and none of them currently coach the team.

Raiders Owner Mark Davis Fired His GM And Multiple Coaches… And It Will Cost Him $85 Million - 2

Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Here’s who else the Raiders owe money to:

Jon Gruden, $10 million

Jon Gruden had spent nearly a decade in the broadcast booth before returning to the sidelines for the Raiders. He had previously coached the team from 1998 to 2001, and his 10-year, $100 million contract in 2018 is one of the largest a coach has ever received. Gruden ultimately resigned on October 11, 2021 after a league investigation into the Washington Football Team (who were later renamed to the Commanders) uncovered several emails Gruden had sent to then Washington general manager Bruce Allen that used racist, misogynistic, and homophobic language. Since he had signed such a long contract, the Raiders are still paying him $10 million annually.

Josh McDaniels, $10 million

Josh McDaniels took over as the Raiders head coach early in 2022, signing a six-year deal. His first season ended with a 6-11 record, with Las Vegas dropping several close games. His second season didn’t start off much better; the Raiders began 3-5. McDaniels was fired on Halloween night in 2023. He joined the Patriots for the 2025 season, his third stint in New England. He’s had solid success as the offensive coordinator, so he’ll be earning money from both the Patriots and Raiders, who will pay McDaniels about $10 million per season until his contract ends.

Antonio Pierce, $8 million

After McDaniels was fired, Antonio Pierce became the interim coach during the 2023 season. He won his first game 30-6 against the New York Giants. Coincidentally, the Giants had the second-worst record this past season. Pierce finished that interim season with a 5-4 record, and the Raiders officially named him the coach in January 2024. He made it less than a year in charge, however, as the Raiders went 4-13 and Pierce was shown the door. Nevertheless, he’ll make $8 million next season.

Chip Kelly, $6 million

Las Vegas fired Chip Kelly in November 2025, just 11 games into the season. He was in the first of a three-year deal worth $18 million. Coordinator contracts are typically guaranteed, so he’ll receive $6 million next season and $6 million in 2027.

Raiders owner Mark Davis is now on the hunt for the next coach of the team. At least he isn’t shy about spending money.

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