Josh McDaniels’ brief tenure as the Raiders’ head coach lasted just over a year. However, his termination has proven to be a costly venture for the franchise. With a fully guaranteed contract, McDaniels is now owed millions, making it a financial setback for the Raiders. This has left some prominent figures particularly discontented including Rob Gronkowski.
Advertisement
The TE did not mince words when expressing his displeasure with McDaniel’s contract in his appearance at ‘Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams’. This is especially true as the former HC is set to receive his entire compensation through 2027, despite not coaching.
Rob Gronkowski Expresses Mixed Emotions on Josh McDaniels’ Exit
The Buccaneers TE Rob Gronkowski expressed his mixed sentiments about Josh McDaniels edit situation. On one hand, he acknowledges a degree of empathy, in his time at the ‘Up and Adams Show’.
“You know I feel for him a little bit, you know emotionally. But then if you really think about it at the end of the day, this guy has signed a six-year deal as a head coach and he’s gonna be paid out for those six years.”
However, his tone shifted when he delved into the financial aspects of McDaniels’ contract in comparison to the players.
“These coaches should only be getting contracts that are like halfway fully guaranteed. I mean all the players, we’re busting our balls and we get [few] years fully guaranteed out of a six-year contract and these guys get six years total totally guaranteed. So, I don’t feel bad for him at all in that sense.”
Rob Gronkowski has made a series of revelations when it comes to Josh McDaniels situation. According to him, McDaniels might be headed toward the Patriots by 2024. He predicted in the same conversation, that Bill O’Brien’s departure is expected to open a returning door for Josh McDaniels by the end of 2023.
McDaniels Set To Earn Millions For Not Coaching
The recent change in dynamics has brought the limelight on Josh McDaniels and Jon Gruden and their fully guaranteed contracts. As highlighted by Joe Pompliano via X, NFL coaching contracts are much more lucrative and guaranteed than player contracts. The Los Angeles Raiders’ termination of McDaniels has landed the team in a financial pickle, along with many questioning the nature of these contracts in the NFL.
NFL coaching contracts are fully guaranteed.
So with the Raiders firing Josh McDaniels last night (and Jon Gruden resigning in '21), they are now paying somewhere between $40M & $80M for them not to coach the team, depending on Gruden's settlement.
That's poor money management. pic.twitter.com/DXVVK6SA63
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) November 1, 2023
Josh McDaniels signed a six-year contract with the Raiders in 2022 that would pay him approximately $10 million a year. However, with McDaniels getting fired in just his second season with the team, he is still owed four years of salary, due to the fully guaranteed nature of his contract. This means that the Raiders would have to pay him roughly $40 million until 2027 for not coaching.
As highlighted by both Pompliano and Rob Gronkowski, the NFL might need to reevaluate the structure of the contracts of the coaches, to mitigate such risks in the future.
