The Raiders fired coach Antonio Pierce on Tuesday after just one full season on the job.
Owner Mark Davis and his advisors, including general manager Tom Telesco and new minority owner Tom Brady, will now be tasked with hiring the 24th coach in franchise history and the fifth since the team moved to Las Vegas in 2020.
There figures to be plenty of twists and turns in the process, but here is an early look at some of the candidates the Raiders could be looking at.
The coaches are listed in no particular order and range from likely targets to long shots. The Raiders may have competition for several, as the Bears, Jaguars, Jets, Patriots and Saints are also looking for a new coach:
Ben Johnson
The Lions’ offensive coordinator should be in the mix for just about every current job opening.
Johnson, 38, is young, innovative and highly successful. Detroit led the NFL in scoring this season after finishing fifth a year ago.
Johnson will be in high demand, so he can be selective with where he chooses to interview.
Mike Vrabel
Vrabel, 49, has a proven track record after going 54-45 over six seasons with the Titans from 2018-23.
He went 2-3 in his three playoff appearances with Tennessee and helped the team reach the AFC title game in 2019. The Titans lost the game 35-24 to the Chiefs.
Vrabel spent this past season as a consultant with the Browns. He was Brady’s Patriots teammate for several years, which could make him a top candidate for the New England job.
Pete Carroll
Carroll, 73, has a 170-120-1 record in stops with the Jets, Patriots and Seahawks.
He is the most successful coach in Seattle history, going 137-89-1 there from 2010-23 and winning Super Bowl 48. The Seahawks reached Super Bowl 49 as well and lost to the Patriots.
Carroll, who also won two national championships at USC, loves fixer-upper projects, which could make the Raiders job appealing to him.
Liam Coen
Coen, the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator, is a name to pay attention to.
The 39-year-old, who is a former apprentice of Rams coach Sean McVay, helped Tampa Bay and quarterback Baker Mayfield win the NFC South this season. The Buccaneers finished third in total yards and fourth in points in Coen’s first season at the helm.
Jon Gruden
Don’t rule it out.
Gruden, 61, was forced to resign during his second stint leading the Raiders in 2021 after emails he wrote several years earlier containing misogynistic and homophobic language were leaked to the media.
Davis has always believed in Gruden, who is currently working to rehabilitate his image with the media company Barstool Sports.
Seriously, a return isn’t out of the question.
Patrick Graham
The Raiders defensive coordinator helped the team allow the ninth-fewest points in the NFL in 2023. Things slipped this season, but the unit was decimated by injuries.
Graham, a Yale alum, is on an expiring contract and could leave the Raiders. The Jaguars have already requested to interview him for their coaching vacancy, while the Bengals have asked to interview him for their open defensive coordinator role.
It may be tough for the Raiders to go with an internal hire after their 4-13 season. But Graham, 45, should at least get an interview.
Kevin O’Connell
Here’s where it gets fun.
Fox reported over the weekend that teams have contacted the Vikings about trading for O’Connell, who is 34-17 in three seasons in Minnesota. The 39-year-old’s contract is set to expire after the 2025 campaign.
The Vikings will likely make sure O’Connell stays put. But why not at least inquire if you’re Davis or the Raiders?
Deion Sanders
This could be even more fun.
Hiring Sanders, the Hall of Fame player turned successful college coach, could pave the way for the Raiders to acquire his son Shedeur in the draft. The younger Sanders is considered one of the top two quarterback prospects in this year’s class after passing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns under his father’s tutelage at Colorado this season.
Davis loves swinging for the fences and embracing the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas. Deion Sanders, who is 40-18 in stints at Jackson State and Colorado, is the flashiest hire possible.
Brian Flores
Flores, 43, is O’Connell’s defensive coordinator in Minnesota. He spent three years as the Dolphins coach before that, going 24-25 until being fired in January 2022.
There was a lot of organizational drama surrounding Flores’ dismissal. He later filed a lawsuit against the NFL and the Dolphins, alleging Miami owner Stephen Ross offered him money to lose games, among other things.
Flores has since shined with the Vikings, as his defense allowed the fifth-fewest points in the NFL this year. It is probably time for him to get another chance.
Joe Brady
Brady, 35, is another innovative offensive mind expected to be in demand.
The Bills offensive coordinator has helped quarterback Josh Allen play at an MVP level this season. He’s given Allen the ability to make big plays while still making sure the 28-year-old avoids turnovers.
There should be competition for Brady’s services.
Aaron Glenn
Johnson isn’t the only hot coaching candidate on the Lions. Glenn, the team’s defensive coordinator, should get plenty of looks, too.
The 52-year-old helped Detroit post the NFC’s best record this season despite a ridiculous rash of injuries on defense. Glenn’s unit still gave up the seventh-fewest points in the NFL.
The former defensive back is expected to get strong consideration from the Saints, who he played for in 2008.
Robert Saleh
Saleh, 45, was fired in October by the Jets five games into his fourth season.
The team didn’t get any better following his dismissal. In fact, its defense got significantly worse.
Saleh’s 20-36 record in New York won’t jump out to interested teams, but some of his lack of success can be blamed on poor quarterback play and the Jets’ failed Aaron Rodgers experiment.
Contact Adam Hill at [email protected]. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
