When Patriots players say goodbye to Josh McDaniels, they need only say, "See you later this year!"
McDaniels has signed a contract to become the new head coach of the Raiders, according to multiple reports. Heading with him to Vegas is former New England director of player personnel Dave Ziegler, who will be the new general manager of the Raiders.
As fate would have it, the Patriots are to visit Vegas during the 2022 season. The date for the regular-season matchup has not been announced, but a Patriots-Raiders matchup at Allegiant Stadium is set in stone.
That could be bad news for New England if recent history counts for anything.
If you include Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, Bill Belichick currently is 15-13 when facing former Patriots players and/or assistants as head coaches. One of those losses came in 2009 when McDaniels' Denver Broncos pulled off an overtime win over Belichick's Patriots.
It's been a struggle for Belichick in recent seasons. He's 5-9 against former players/assistants since the start of the 2018 campaign, including a loss that season to Matt Patricia's Detroit Lions and two losses this season to the Miami Dolphins, who since have fired head coach Brian Flores. Belichick did pick up his first victory against Vrable this season.
Of course, none of that means that the Patriots will lose to McDaniels and the Raiders in 2022. However, there is increasing evidence suggesting those who have studied under Belichick are among the best-equipped to top him on gameday.
