NFL Rumors: Raiders ‘all-in’ on Josh McDaniels, Dave Ziegler

Report: Pats’ McDaniels, Ziegler on verge of joining Raiders? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Is it actually happening this time?

New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had dinner with Las Vegas Raiders leadership Friday night as they seek a new head coach, Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson reported Saturday. The Raiders already interviewed Patriots director of player personnel Dave Ziegler for their open general manager role last Friday.

According to Wilson, it sounds like that dinner went pretty well.

McDaniels is “expected to be hired along with Ziegler within the next few days,” Wilson reported, adding that both McDaniels and the Raiders are “all-in” on the team hiring him as head coach and Ziegler as GM.

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“McDaniels informed the Raiders that he wouldn’t accept their interview request unless he was being offered the job, per sources,” Wilson wrote. “And the Raiders told McDaniels that if and when he was offered the position, he needed to be prepared to accept.

“Sources emphasized that all parties are on the same page, including McDaniels, Ziegler, Raiders owner Mark Davis, and team president Dan Ventrelle.”

UPDATE (1:45 p.m. ET): McDaniels is formally interviewing with the Raiders on Saturday and could be hired “this weekend” if things go well, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reports.

The Raiders have interviewed several other candidates for head coach and GM — including Patriots inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo — but as Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer noted Thursday on NBC Sports Boston’s Early Edition, the Raiders and McDaniels likely were “pretty far along already” prior to Friday’s meeting.

“(McDaniels to the Raiders) is something that Patriots fans should take seriously,” our Tom E. Curran added Thursday before McDaniels met with Las Vegas brass.

McDaniels has been the Patriots’ offensive coordinator since 2012, famously backing out of the Indianapolis Colts‘ head coach role in February 2018. He’s in a good situation right now with a stable organization and a promising rookie quarterback in Mac Jones.

But the Raiders have their own talented QB in Derek Carr and an owner in Mark Davis who is “willing to spend the money if he thinks he has the right guy,” Wilson noted.