New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is interviewing for the Las Vegas Raiders head-coaching job this weekend, NFL Network reported.
There is believed to be significant interest between both sides, and NFL Network said the Raiders could hire him this weekend.
The Raiders are seeking a replacement for Jon Gruden, who resigned in October after being linked to derogatory emails uncovered in the league’s investigation into the workplace culture with the Washington Football Team. Interim coach Rich Bisaccia led the team to a 7-5 record the rest of the season and a playoff berth.
The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Raiders 26-19 in the AFC wild-card round.
Bisaccia talked to owner Mark Davis about being elevated to the role full-time, and Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and New England inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo also interviewed for the job.
But the focus is on the 45-year-old McDaniels now, and he reportedly could come as part of a package with Patriots director of player personnel Dave Ziegler, who would move into the general manager role.
GM Mike Mayock was fired after the season.
Should McDaniels be offered — and accept — the job, it would be his second go-round as an NFL head coach. He led the Denver Broncos to an 11-17 record before being fired after Week 13 in his second season in the job in 2010.
He spent the following season as the offensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams, then returned to the same role with the Patriots, which he previously held from 2006-08.
In 2018, he accepted — and then backed out of — the job as head coach of the Colts. Sports Illustrated later reported that it wasn’t because the Patriots put a deal in place to make him the heir apparent to Bill Belichick, as was rumored, but instead over concerns about the football operations chain of command in Indianapolis.
