Josh McDaniels wants all the New England Patriots to play for his Las Vegas Raiders nowadays.
When it comes to building the Las Vegas Raiders, Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler want all the former New England Patriots they can get their hands on.
After signing former Patriots backup and San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in his free agency, the Raiders are signing a former Patriots wide receiver who quite literally handed a game to them in Jakobi Meyers. No one remembers that more than, you guessed it, another former Patriots star in edge rusher Chandler Jones. And he ain’t walking out that door!
$33 million and $21 million guaranteed for three years is not a bad get for a solid Patriots receiver.
Let’s see if the Las Vegas Patriots are going to be a real thing or totally blow up in McDaniels’ face.
NFL rumors: Josh McDaniels going for broke to assemble the Las Vegas Patriots
No doubt about it, last season was a rocky start for McDaniels and Ziegler in Las Vegas. The Raiders were a playoff team the year prior, despite Jon Gruden’s scandalous ousting and Rich Bisaccia doing marvelous in the interim. Las Vegas is picking No. 7 overall and just kicked its former stabilizing presence to the curb in Derek Carr. At least they were able to add Garoppolo…
Given how strong the Kansas City Chiefs are atop the division, nothing will be easy for the Silver and Black in the AFC West. However, it is not like McDaniels’ former employer in the Denver Broncos are exceptionally well-run and no team underachieves more frequently than the Los Angeles Chargers. So yes, there is a chance the Raiders can finish in second and make the playoffs.
Ultimately, Meyers is not going to move the needle in terms of a free-agent acquisition for the Raiders, but it will be more in line with the type of team McDaniels hopes to build. While I understand that he has very strong ties to the Patriots, he is not going to get another shot at being a head coach if this thing bombs. He needs to trust his instincts and be himself this time.
Maybe Meyers can throw the football to a Patriots defender next time the game is on the line?
