Josh McDaniels becoming the head coach in Las Vegas apparently did not yield widespread excitement in the Raiders locker room.
It's not often an NFL team brings on a new head coach shortly after taking part in the playoffs, but the Raiders found themselves in a unique situation. Las Vegas did not reach the postseason under the direction of its initial head coach for the 2021 campaign, as it was interim HC Rich Bisaccia who halted the franchise's playoff drought at four seasons.
Bisaccia was included in the Raiders' recent head coach interview process, but it was McDaniels who ultimately landed the job. This decision reportedly did not universally sit well among Raiders players.
"Raiders players were disappointed to hear the news after they had made a serious push for interim coach Rich Bisaccia and his staff," The Athletic's Vic Tafur wrote in a column published Monday. "The players themselves probably thought the curse was over after they had overcome a series of off-field incidents and won four straight games down the stretch to make the playoffs for the first time in five years."
Tafur reported Las Vegas coaches also were "disappointed and a little bitter" about the McDaniels hire, perhaps because most of them reportedly haven't heard from team brass of late.
That said, Tafur expects Raiders players to "get over" their disappointment and enter training camp with an optimistic outlook.
As for Bisaccia, he reportedly interviewed for the Jacksonville Jaguars' vacant head coaching position Monday.
