The Las Vegas Raiders are one of football's most underwhelming teams in the 2022 NFL season, having vastly underperformed thus far into the campaign. At 2-7 and in the AFC West's basement, fans have begun to call for first-year head coach Josh McDaniels to be fired. According to Bill Plaschke of the LA Times (via Dov Kleiman on Twitter), that may not be a possibility. Plaschke shockingly stated that the Raiders are unable to fire McDaniels for financial reasons.

“They don't have the money to fire him,” said Plaschke, who called the Raiders “cash poor.”

“He'll be the coach this year and next year.”

McDaniels signed a four-year contract with the Raiders this offseason. As most head coaching contracts do, McDaniels' deal includes a buyout which would have to be activated in order to fire him. While the precise cost of that buyout is not clear, Plaschke indicates it's far too steep for the Raiders to afford.

He went as far as to suggest that not only would McDaniels finish the season out in Las Vegas, but the team may not be in a position to fire him until after the 2023 campaign. Mark Davis voiced his support for McDaniels following the Raiders' Week 10 loss vs. the Indianapolis Colts and interim head coach Jeff Saturday. Despite the disappointing loss, Davis indicated McDaniels was still part of the organization's plans.

It would certainly make sense that the Raiders are strapped for cash, having signed Jon Gruden to a 10-year, $100 million deal and firing him just five weeks into the second year of the contract. After pressing the reset button on their last head coaching disaster, the Raiders may not be financially equipped to do so once again amid Josh McDaniels' struggles.