The Las Vegas Raiders are about a week into their head coaching search. They fired Antonio Pierce last Tuesday and conducted their first interview with a candidate virtually via Zoom last Friday.
The Raiders also need to fill their general manager position after firing Tom Telesco last Thursday. Team brass hasn’t requested an interview for its front-office vacancy, but that’s probably by design, which leads us back to the head coaching search.
Related: NFL coaching candidates 2025: Identifying top NFL head coach candidates, including Ben Johnson
Why Ben Johnson is a realistic candidate
The Raiders and New York Jets can offer something different from the other three head coaching openings in Chicago, Jacksonville, and New Orleans.
Both teams can match a candidate with a general manager who shares their vision instead of hiring a head coach who would have to work out an arranged partnership with a front-office executive already in place.
Top candidates like Ben Johnson may find that appealing, though according to SNY’s Connor Hughes, he’s not interested in the Jets’ vacancy, and the feeling is mutual. The Saints haven’t reached out to him about their opening.
Johnson did meet with the Raiders brain trust via Zoom last Friday.
According to Fox Sports NFL insider Peter Schrager, the buzz between the Raiders and Johnson picked up over the past weekend.
Of course, Johnson will have options. He also accepted interview requests from the Bears and Jaguars, who have their starting quarterbacks in place.
As of Monday, if Johnson leaves Detroit, he will pick one of three teams: Raiders, Bears or Jaguars. So, Las Vegas has to at least like its chances, even though its quarterback situation is the worst of the three teams vying for the Lions offensive coordinator.
Perhaps Johnson isn’t turned off by the Raiders’ quarterback situation, or he sees an attainable offseason upgrade for the unit.
While Johnson initially seemed like a long-shot candidate for the Raiders, his interest in the club may be legitimate, partly because the team decided to wipe the slate clean in the front office.
Related: Tom Brady ‘imploring’ top NFL candidate to consider Las Vegas Raiders job
Tom Brady and Mark Davis are not fixated on the Patriot Way
Tom Brady spent 20 years in New England, establishing relationships on and off the field.
Now a heavy influence on the Raiders’ search for a new lead skipper, Brady can fill the team’s request list with former Patriots coaches, but that hasn’t happened yet.
The Raiders contacted Bill Belichick. However, Las Vegas Review Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore noted that Brady wanted to pick Belichick’s brain rather than convince him to leave his North Carolina head coaching position.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Raiders didn’t reach out to Mike Vrabel with the understanding that he planned to accept the position in New England.
Though rumors have linked Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores to the Raiders job because of his Patriots ties to Brady, the team has yet to contact him about the position. But that could change soon, with The Athletic’s Dianna Russini indicating the team plans to conduct a virtual interview with Flores later this week.
As of Monday, the Raiders don’t have interviews scheduled with anyone tied to Brady from his years in New England.
According to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed, owner Mark Davis isn’t interested in the Patriot Way again.
“Davis apparently is not interested in another go-round with ‘The Patriots Way’ after the failure of Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler two years ago, according to league sources.”
Related: Brian Flores expected to meet with three NFL teams this week
Patriots hiring Mike Vrabel increases Raiders’ chance of hiring top offensive mind
Vrabel has a defensive background, and he took one of the jobs linked to a favorable quarterback situation. The Patriots’ position drew interest partially because of rookie Drake Maye’s flashes of promise in 2024.
Now, the Bears and Jaguars have the most appealing head-coaching jobs for candidates looking to build around a former blue-chip prospect from a recent draft.
That said, if Ben Johnson, Joe Brady, Todd Monken and Liam Coen want to become head coaches in this cycle, they cannot all land jobs with teams that have a starting quarterback in place.
According to Bleacher Report NFL insider James Palmer, the Raiders want an offensive-minded head coach.
Right now, the supply of candidates with an offensive background lines up well for the Raiders in a six-job market.
Some of these candidates may remain with their current teams, but if the Raiders draw interest from a few more offensive coaches, they may land one of their preferred choices, even if Johnson accepts a job elsewhere or stays in Detroit.
Maurice Moton covers the Raiders for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.
