Brought in to advise the Saints before the draft, Dave Ziegler has secured a permanent position with the NFC South organization. The Saints have officially welcomed the former Raiders GM to their front office, as reported by NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill.
Ziegler is now serving as a personnel advisor in the front office led by Mickey Loomis. This reunites Ziegler with Derek Carr, creating an interesting dynamic given Carr’s history with the Raiders. While Josh McDaniels is currently not employed in the NFL, Ziegler, who was also let go by the Raiders last season, now has a full-time role with the Saints.
This further solidifies the Saints’ connections to individuals who were part of the Raiders organization during Carr’s time. Jon Gruden has also assisted the team temporarily since Carr joined, although he is not in a full-time role with the Saints. Ziegler, who was released by the Raiders alongside McDaniels, is now looking to make a comeback after his tenure as GM ended prematurely.
The Raiders are still responsible for Ziegler and McDaniels’ contracts, but Mark Davis wasted no time in moving on. Ziegler, aged 46, previously held roster control in Las Vegas but will now report to Loomis in his new role. He joins former GM Jeff Ireland on the Saints’ staff, and the team has also brought on Brandon Tamres as a scouting assistant, according to Underhill. Tamres most recently worked as a recruiting analyst at Georgia.
While Ziegler was in charge of the Raiders’ roster, many believed he was working closely with McDaniels in Vegas. This period saw the end of Carr’s lengthy tenure as the team’s starting quarterback. The Raiders made the decision to bench Carr before Week 17 of the 2022 season to avoid a significant guarantee in 2023, with Jarrett Stidham stepping in. Carr was released by the Raiders in February of the following year, as the Ziegler-McDaniels regime deemed him unsuitable for the offense, thus preventing the guarantee from vesting.
Opinions varied on Ziegler’s role with the Raiders, but he, McDaniels, and OC Mick Lombardi were all let go midway through last season. During Ziegler’s tenure, the Raiders posted a record of 14-20 and signed contracts that did not age well for players like Carr, Hunter Renfrow, Darren Waller, and Chandler Jones. Ziegler’s handling of the QB position was a major factor in his departure. Prior to his time with the Raiders, Ziegler held a prominent position in New England and worked with McDaniels in Denver before staying on following the HC’s departure.
