Late on Halloween night, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Mark Davis sent shockwaves through the league when he announced the firings of head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler.
The dismissals drew reactions far beyond Las Vegas on Wednesday.
A pair of McDaniels' former quarterbacks who had far different experiences with the now-former Raiders head coach had much the same response, expressing empathy and wishing the best to their former coach and his family.
"I've been through it, and this business is so tough that we forget the human side of things," New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr told reporters Wednesday. "So, my heart is for Josh and Dave and with my friends over there dealing with another change. That's -- I lost count of how many coaches it was for me at that point. There's another change for those guys to go through -- a new scheme to learn, a new philosophy. That doesn't make it easy as a player, but at the end of the day, nobody cares. You keep it pushing. I wish Dave and Josh the best. As they know, and I've told them, I wish them the absolute best. So, to see that it's hard. It breaks your heart for their families."
The veteran Carr played for six head coaches (including interim) during his time with the Raiders from 2014-2022. It began with Dennis Allen and ended with McDaniels -- the former is now his head coach with the Saints.
McDaniels was New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones' first offensive coordinator in 2021. He's had two (or three) more since McDaniels left for the Raiders -- well, technically, one in current OC Bill O'Brien, as the Pats never officially designated Matt Patricia or Joe Judge as an OC in 2022.
"I have a lot of respect for Josh and his family," Jones said Wednesday, via team transcript. "I had a great experience with him and, like you said, we have a good relationship and it's a tough part of the business. Like I said, I have a lot of respect for Josh and his family and what he's done for this place, and all that too. So, definitely, thoughts are with him."
Jones was a Pro Bowler as a rookie with McDaniels as his offensive coordinator, but has struggled over the past two years without him -- much as McDaniels struggled over the past two seasons away from the Patriots.
Carr spent one season with McDaniels, but it didn't last the duration as it was a far bumpier ride than the one Jones experienced.
Carr's tenure with the Raiders ended in 2022 when he was benched with two games remaining in the season. He was released in the ensuing offseason and subsequently signed with the Saints. Thus, as he expressed no hard feelings for McDaniels -- or Ziegler -- in regard to how badly things ended, he knows the reality that they're currently going through: This is a business, and oftentimes it's a cold one. But he believes they'll find brighter days ahead, just as he did.
"At the end of the day, it's a business," Carr said. "They know that and they'll be fine and move on. They'll have jobs in this league for sure."
