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Raiders Shell Out Millions to Dismiss Josh McDaniels as Head Coach

Published 11/01/2023, 8:59 PM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

Being an NFL coach at one point is a lifetime settlement. And no one can tell that better at the moment than the ex-Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels. He and his general manager were shown the exit door on Tuesday following the team’s loss to the Buffalo Bills. But that leaves the Raiders in a worse financial situation as McDaniels will continue to get paid. To ‘not coach’ the team, precisely.

That’s because of the league’s one bizarre rule! Surprisingly, the players, though, don’t enjoy the same privilege despite being the backbone of the team. Now, in this circumstance, despite his exit from the side, Josh McDaniels seems to be on the winning end of the deal.

The NFL rule that forces the Raiders to keep paying McDaniels

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Everything starts with the NFL rule that makes a coach’s contract fully guaranteed in the league. Even when the contract is terminated prematurely, the coach receives the entire amount of his remaining sum despite not actively being assigned to the team. Given the fact that the coach can be picked meantime by any other franchise, it sounds even worse when he is getting paid by two teams at once.

That recently has been the case for Josh McDaniels, who was relieved of his duties on Tuesday after a regime of embarrassment with the Raiders. NFL reporter Joe Popliano has dug up the fact and shared the estimated amount that the franchise will continue to pay him on X.

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Shockingly enough, the same rule also covers past head coach Jon Gruden, who served the franchise between 2020-2021 during his second stint. Despite being associated with the New Orleans Saints currently, Gruden simultaneously collects his paycheck from both of the teams. Combining these two, the Raiders are cashing out somewhere between $40M & $80M, as Pompliano pointed out.

The fans who wanted McDaniels out of the franchise, wouldn’t be happy witnessing this. Neither would be the owners and fellow goer Dave Ziegler. Ziegler served as the team’s general manager and he had to follow the head coach under the owner’s command. But sadly for him, the NFL rule doesn’t assure his remaining portion of the amount. Being a head coach has its different benefits it seems!

But worst of all is the fact that the same rule doesn’t apply to the players either. It shouldn’t have been the case, according to Joe Pompliano, who believed there to be more credit due to the players than anyone else in the happenings of the game, hence the amount made.

McDaniels enjoys a luxury that the players don’t

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In a post shared on his LinkedIn, Pomploano expressed his dissatisfaction with the rule’s ineligibility when it comes to the players. It’s the players who put their bodies on the line, and yet they lose the remaining amount of their contract when terminated prematurely. He believes this should be changed to become similar to a coach’s contract at least.

via Reuters

The insights truly open up a new side of the league and make us think if it’s fair. While the rule has existed for years and hasn’t particularly stood out among a set of thousand other rules, it’s moments like this that provoke the thoughts in one’s mind. Should players be making petitions to the league to fully guarantee their amount post-contract termination? Or should the NFL themselves step in and look further into the rule and potentially make some meaningful changes to it?

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Which one is more likely to happen first? Tell us in the comments. Till then, McDaniels can enjoy his vacation!

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Written by:

Sagnik Ghosh

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Sagnik Ghosh is an NFL writer at EssentiallySports. He loves to follow the build-ups to heated games and cover the stories of athletes that go untold. Sagnik prioritizes producing engaging write-ups for his readers and excels in breaking down complex plays.
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Edited by:

Aazima Basharat