The Raiders players seem pretty happy that Josh McDaniels was fired

The current atmosphere in the Las Vegas Raiders locker room is probably best described as “Munchkins are experiencing a leadership change.”

One of the worst situations in the NFL came to its natural end late Tuesday night with the firing of Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels. That ended a tenure in which he went 9-16 in a season and a half. General manager David Ziegler and offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi were also fired.

The on-field results were reason enough for Raiders owner Mark Davis to move on from McDaniels, but the coach appears to have taken a toll on his players’ morale if their behavior over the last two days is anything to go by.

Davante Adams, who clashed with McDaniels, seemed particularly happy Thursday as he played basketball in the locker room and paused to make fun of McDaniels before sinking a jump shot:

“That’s why they lose, because they’re afraid of doing the wrong thing,” Adams said while mocking McDaniels. “Run the fuck the right way, catch the ball.”

He added: “Catch that s***” after making the basket.

Meanwhile, there was a report of Raiders offensive linemen breaking into impromptu wrestling matches while veteran wide receiver Hunter Renfrow described the scene to reporters:

“There is a different energy. I find [interim head coach Antonio Pierce] Allusion to this: It’s fun when you have nothing to lose. Let’s go out there and have a great time and play hard and fast…We’re not walking on eggshells everywhere.”

Josh McDaniels is out for the Raiders. His players don’t seem to mind too much. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images) (Mike Mulholland via Getty Images)

It’s a scene reminiscent of the Jacksonville Jaguars after Urban Meyer’s exorcism, where everyone from the players to the interim head coach seemed happy to see the first-year NFL coach go.

The path forward probably won’t be much better for the Raiders, however. The team’s record is currently 3-5 and it has the 11th-strongest strength remaining on the schedule. It’s still the same squad, just without the person who led them to such a state. But sometimes that’s all it takes to boost morale.