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Former Las Vegas Raiders GM Mike Mayock.
The Las Vegas Raiders keep cycling through head coaches, and they need to find a long-term option. They’ve gone with safe choices that didn’t work out like Pete Carroll, and they’ve tried taking a big swing on Antonio Pierce, but that didn’t work out either.
Unfortunately for the Raiders, they may have already had the right coach in place years ago, but decided not to give him a chance. Former special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia was named interim head coach of the team after Jon Gruden resigned during the 2021 season.
Bisaccia led the team to a 7-5 record despite a chaotic season, and they reached the playoffs. Many believed that he did enough to deserve a chance at the permanent job. Players adored Bisaccia and campaigned hard for him to get hired.
Instead, the Raiders decided to hire Josh McDaniels instead. Former general manager Mike Mayock got let go that same offseason, but he was a big advocate of giving Bisaccia a chance. He thinks the Raiders would be in a much better spot now had they hired the veteran coach.
“Had the Raiders kept Bisaccia after the 2021 season, they would be competing for divisional titles, not for the 1st pick in the draft,” Mayock told ESPN in a text message.
Not Hiring Bisaccia Had Led to Many Problems
In hindsight, there’s no denying that replacing Bisaccia with McDaniels was a massive mistake. Going from a coach that players loved to McDaniels, who players don’t vibe with, was always a questionable decision.
As a longtime special teams coach, Bisaccia couldn’t have called plays or been much help on the offense or defense. However, he’s widely regarded as one of the best leaders in the NFL.
Not hiring Bisaccia has led to years of turmoil that could’ve been avoided. Had the Raiders given him a chance, they wouldn’t have had to deal with the McDaniels debacle that paved the way for Pierce. The Raiders almost certainly wouldn’t have had to give Pierce the full-time head coaching job if they hadn’t already gone against the players by not hiring Bisaccia.
Even if Bisaccia didn’t work out and only lasted a year or two, there’s no way the Raiders could be worse. It’s understandable why Mark Davis didn’t want to hire him, but choosing McDaniels as the replacement was a bad decision. Nobody would’ve faulted him for hiring somebody like Jim Harbaugh, but he went with the wrong guy, and the Raiders are still dealing with the fallout from that.
Should Raiders Take a Look at Bisaccia This Offseason?
The Raiders aren’t the only team that didn’t think Bisaccia was a head coach. He still hasn’t gotten a chance to lead a team.
He’s currently the assistant head coach and special teams coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. Since they’re playing a playoff game this week, Bisaccia can’t interview for head coaching jobs yet.
Once he’s available, it doesn’t hurt the Raiders to at least take a look at him. Hiring him would almost certainly smooth things over with star defensive end Maxx Crosby. It’s unlikely that he’ll get a head coaching job, but he should at least get an interview.
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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