Report: Las Vegas Raiders fire OC Mick Lombardi after parting ways with HC Josh McDaniels

Raiders owner Mark Davis hasn’t stopped issuing pink slips. He terminated the head coach and general manager late Tuesday. Then news broke that Vegas has fired Mick Lombardi, the offensive coordinator.

It’s unclear if there are more announcements coming. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported the news about Lombardi, coach Josh McDaniels’ right-hand man on offense. Matt Lombardi, Mick’s younger brother, still is on staff, as of now.

In addition, the Raiders promoted quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree to offensive coordinator. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the news.

Antonio Pierce, a one-time NFL linebacker, was promoted to interim head coach.

If you were up late Tuesday dividing up your Halloween candy, you probably saw the news that Davis fired McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler. It broke at 11 p.m. local time, as folks in Vegas were going to sleep. If you missed the news alerts, you then you woke up to them. No one was talking about all the trades that went down Tuesday, Rather, the top NFL news was Davis ending McDaniels’ time in Sin City.

The firing came roughly 24 hours after the Raiders stumbled badly in a 26-14 loss to the Lions in front of a Monday Night Football audience. The offensive dysfunction was on full display. And you could see it in the way All Pro receiver Davante Adams was so visibly upset.

McDaniels, who had been the OC on Bill Belichick’s Patriots staff, managed only a 9-16 record with the Raiders. Vegas was 3-5 this season.

During his brief time with the Raiders, McDaniels’s team blew the biggest lead in franchise history in a 2022 loss to the Cardinals. And the 2022 missteps were many. The Raiders lost to the Rams, who had just signed Baker Mayfield two days before. Mayfield was able to rally a team he didn’t know to a win over Vegas. Plus, the Raiders lost to the Colts coached by Jeff Saturday, the former offensive lineman turned ESPN analyst. Saturday’s only victory was over the Raiders.

Then this year, the Raiders lost to the Bears, who were quarterbacked by rookie Tyson Bagent, the undrafted rookie making his first career start.

But McDaniels has gone through an abrupt termination before. The Broncos dumped him after 28 games in 2010.

McDaniels called the plays, but Mick Lombardo was his main guy on offense. They were all with the Patriots before coming together to Vegas. This year’s offense ranked 31st in the league in total offense and was last in rushing yards and 30th in scoring. That’s not a formular for winning football.