Raiders' GM Ziegler on Staying the Course Despite Slow Start

Even though the Las Vegas Raiders were 2-7, Ziegler's faith in his vision never wavered.

At one point during the 2022 regular season, the Las Vegas Raiders' record was 2-7, losers of three games in a row, including a 25-20 loss at Allegiant Stadium to the Indianapolis Colts in Jeff Saturday’s first game as interim head coach.

For a team with an experienced quarterback in Derek Carr, a running back playing for a contract extension in Josh Jacobs, and arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL in Davante Adams, the Raiders having such a poor record was puzzling and likely discouraging to fans. It would have been understandable if management was losing faith in the team's direction.

It was not discouraging, however, to General Manager Dave Ziegler, whose faith in Coach Josh McDaniels and his vision for the team never wavered. Ziegler said in an interview that he evaluated all options and decided to stay the course was the correct move for the franchise.

“It was a really important time for us I think in the long range, in the big picture of us building this franchise into the sustained winner that we want to, because we looked at those things, and we critically looked at them, and we questioned them, and at the end of the day, we felt like what we stand on and what we believe in, we’re going to stick with it," Ziegler said.

"We’re going to stick with the approach, and stick with our core beliefs, and again, when those things get tested, you have to stand by them at that point, and that’s what we decided to do.”

As a first-year general manager, Ziegler said it was difficult not to second-guess his long-term goals, but ultimately he decided to stay the course with his plans for the team.

“I would be lying if you don’t question those things, and I think it’s healthy to question those things too, to make sure you are grounded in your approach, to look at things critically and make sure that you’ve made the right decisions and they’re the things we believe in, and the reason we’ve made these decisions, and these are the things we’re going to stand on, and those get tested when you’re 2-7,” he said.

Heading into year two, Ziegler faces an off-season full of question marks. It will be on him to take the next step in his plans to turn the Raiders into the winner he envisions.

The NFL Scouting Combine is Feb. 28-March 6, 2023, held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. On March 7, 2023, before 4 p.m. EST, is the club's deadline to designate Franchise or Transition Players.

March 13-15 is the free agent negotiation period. During that time, starting at 12 p.m. EST on March 13 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m. EST on March 15, clubs are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2022 Player Contracts at 4 p.m EST on March 15.

The 2023 NFL Year and Free Agency period begins at 4 p.m. EST on March 15. The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free-agent market this season.

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