Josh McDaniels has not exactly had a fairytale run in his coaching career in the NFL. Recently, the Las Vegas Raiders ended their contract with him, and the coach now has his future dangling in the air for the time being.
Besides getting fired as a coach, there are many other significant incidents that tainted his career. One such being his controversial decision of trading former NFL player Peyton Hillis back in 2010 that gave rise to wide speculations during the time.
Did Josh McDaniels trade Peyton Hillis because his wife was drawn to former NFL RB?
In 2010, while serving as the head coach of the Broncos, Josh McDaniels made a controversial trade. Josh traded a former NFL player Peyton Hillis from the Denver Broncos to the Cleveland Browns. Rumors regarding this incident spurred around in the NFL community that Hillis had an affair with Josh’s wife Laura McDaniels. Josh thought his wife was attracted to Peyton Hillis, although there is no factual evidence to claim the incident.
Josh tied knot with Laura in 2002 and they have 4 kids- Jack, Maddie, Livia and Neenah. Although they were happily married and living together, rumors about Laura and Hillis started to circulate soon after Peyton got transferred to the Browns.
Allegedly Peyton hit on Laura on a community fundraising function or probably on an organization dinner party. Although it is very unclear what actually happened, according to Mark Schlereth and Alfred Williams it is considered “common knowledge around the Broncos organization.”
However, Peyton’s trade was most likely due to various other factors, such as- injuries, contract disputes with the team or performance issues.
How many times Josh McDaniels has been fired as HC in NFL?
Josh McDaniels got fired as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders on November 1, 2023. This remarks as his 2nd dismissal from a team in his coaching career. Josh was fired along with Dave Ziegler, the general manager of Vegas Raiders.
After a disappointing start in the season, lack of leadership, poor game management and a series of controversies, McDaniels was criticized for the Raiders continues downfall.
Josh was fired before in December 2010, while serving as the head coach of the Denver Broncos. McDaniels became the head coach of the Broncos in 2009. He led the team to a 6-0 start, but after that lost 17 games out of 22 games. McDaniels is mostly known for his offensive game strategy. Additionally, there was a videotaping scandal that led to a $500,000 fine for the team and Josh.
With very high expectations Josh was hired as the HC of the Broncos in 2021. Even though with a successful run with the New England Patriots, Josh struggled to guide the Raiders to playoffs. Both McDaniels and Dave failed to show a desirable outcome which ultimately led to their dismissal from the team.
While opportunities may arise, currently it looks like the career of Josh McDaniels as NFL head coach has become uncertain.
Do you think the other teams might entrust him with the steering wheel? Share your comment below.
