From the Instagram story of former #Raiders safety Johnathan Abram.
Honestly thought this was fake, but it is indeed real😂
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Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.
It has been a bleak couple of decades for the Las Vegas Raiders, but there was a brief glimmer of hope during the 2021 season. Despite having one of the most chaotic seasons for any team in recent memory, the Raiders managed to go 10-7 and make the playoffs.
Interim head coach Rich Bisaccia kept the team focused despite chaos off the field. Every player on the roster and many fans wanted to see Bisaccia get a chance to be the full-time head coach.
Instead, owner Mark Davis decided to hire Josh McDaniels. That decision was met with immediate backlash from fans. Those fans were quickly proven correct, as the Raiders went from a playoff team to winning six games the following season.
McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler didn’t have a problem moving on from players who were on the playoff team once things weren’t going well. One player who got cut during McDaniels’ first year was former first-round pick Johnathan Abram.
It’s safe to say that he still holds a bit of a grudge against the coach. Abram doesn’t take an unprompted shot at McDaniels during a recent trip to Las Vegas.
“I miss playing inside you,” Abram wrote in an Instagram Story of a picture of Allegiant Stadium. “Josh McDaniels ruined everything we built! He should be arrested for sabotaging the organization and going to NE.”
From the Instagram story of former #Raiders safety Johnathan Abram.
Honestly thought this was fake, but it is indeed real😂
McDaniels deserves a lot of blame for how bad the Raiders were during his tenure. He made several questionable roster decisions, and players clearly didn’t vibe with his coaching style.
At the same time, he didn’t inherit a great roster. The Raiders caught lightning in a bottle in 2021, but that doesn’t mean they were a powerhouse. There were holes everywhere.
The Raiders likely would’ve been bad even if they did keep Bisaccia. At the same time, McDaniels clearly isn’t a good head coach. He’s a top offensive coordinator, but he hasn’t proven he can lead a team. Now, Abram hasn’t played a game since 2023, so it’s hard to imagine he would’ve developed into an All-Pro if McDaniels wasn’t hired, but it’s easy to understand why some former players would be frustrated with him.
During the 2023 season, the locker room clearly turned on McDaniels. Players weren’t happy and weren’t shy about sharing it.
That said, it didn’t necessarily have to do with him being a bad person or unlikable. Defensive end Maxx Crosby previously spoke about how he actually had a good relationship with the coach.
“That’s my guy, I respect the hell out of coach McDaniels,” Crosby said after the Raiders played the Patriots in Week 1 of the 2025 season. “He was always great to me. I have nothing but good things to say.”
For whatever reason, McDaniels’ messaging wasn’t working on players. He’s better suited to be an offensive coordinator. It’s unlikely another team will give a chance to be a head coach again in the future, unless the New England Patriots job opens up again.
Austin Boyd has covered the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com since 2019. A Los Angeles native now based in Las Vegas, his featured work at Heavy includes interviews with NFL stars Darren Waller and Joe Montana, and a behind-the-scenes look at "The Shop." More about Austin Boyd
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