Josh McDaniels was the lowest-graded head coach on 2024 NFL players report card

FOXBORO -- There were a few surprises Wednesday when the annual NFLPA report cards were released, with Bill Belichick receiving a solid grade for his final season with the Patriots and the back-to-back Super Bowl champion Chiefs ranking 31st overall. What should come as no surprise is that Josh McDaniels ranked dead last among NFL head coaches.

It was crystal clear throughout his season-and-a-half in Las Vegas that Raiders players did not like playing for McDaniels, who joined the team in 2022 after a successful second stint at offensive coordinator for the Patriots. Raiders players basically celebrated when McDaniels was fired in October, midway through the second season of his six-year contract with the team, and responded by going 5-4 the rest of the way under Antonio Pierce. 

To really hammer home their disdain for their former head coach, Raiders players gave McDaniels the lowest head coaching score on the 2024 NFLPA report card. The survey was conducted during the regular season when McDaniels was still employed by the Raiders, and Las Vegas received a D in the coaching category. It was the only category that the franchise received lower than a C. 

Only 39 percent of Raiders players felt that McDaniels was efficient with their time, which ranked 32nd. He was also ranked least likely to listen to his locker room. (Belichick ranked 31st in that department.)

The Raiders graded out well everywhere else, thanks in large part to their incredible new facilities in Las Vegas. They got an A-plus for their weight room (ranking third), along with an A-minus in the Nutritionist/Dietician (fifth), Locker Room (fifth), and Strength Coaches categories (seventh). Las Vegas ranked in the top five in five of the 11 categories, and owner Mark Davis received a B-plus.

But that grade for McDaniels brought the rest of the report card down. The NFLPA pointed that that had McDaniels received just an average grade, "the Raiders would have ranked in the top five overall in this year's rankings."

While the Raiders moved on from him in October, it looks like McDaniels dragged down the Raiders one final time.