The Las Vegas Raiders are one of three teams in the NFL that still haven’t hired a head coach. Options are starting to dwindle as they continue to wait.
While there are still some strong head coaching candidates left, many top assistants are already getting hired by new staffs. Many of the top offensive coordinator candidates have already been signed, so that likely means the Raiders are going to go with an offensive-minded head coach.
If that’s the case, the Raiders need a strong defensive coordinator to own that side of the ball. Patrick Graham has called the defense for the last four seasons. He’s survived three different coaching staffs.
Graham is a respected defensive mind and even got head coaching interviews this offseason. However, surviving a fourth coaching staff could prove difficult.
It’s still on the table that the next head coach will want to retain Graham, but they might not have the chance. According to USA Today’s Art Stapleton, the Pittsburgh Steelers are interested in hiring Graham to be the defensive coordinator on Mike McCarthy’s staff. This isn’t the first time Graham has been linked to Pittsburgh. Mike Tomlin previously had interest in him, but he decided to stay in Las Vegas.
Should Raiders Push to Retain Graham?
Graham hasn’t been able to consistently build a strong defense with the Raiders, but he’s also had to deal with different coaches and personnel. The defense was very good during the 2023 season, but it hasn’t reached those same heights as the previous two years.
The defense was definitely better than the offense this season, but still not a great unit. It didn’t help that Graham had to implement some of Pete Carroll’s defensive philosophies into his scheme.
Whenever the Raiders make their head coaching hire official, they can certainly do worse than Graham as the defensive coordinator. Having some continuity is always a good thing. That said, Graham might want a fresh start. He was on track to be a head coach before he joined the Raiders, and despite opening up their head coaching job numerous times, they haven’t given him a chance to lead the team.
The Raiders have him under contract, so it’s possible that going to a new team would lead to a decrease in pay. If the new head coach wants him and he’s willing to stay, there is a possibility that he’ll be back.
Have Raiders Decided to Go With Offensive-Minded Coach?
The Raiders have interviewed many different coaches from different backgrounds throughout this process. The one defensive coach they seemed to have the strongest interest in was Jesse Minter, but he decided to accept the head coaching job with the Baltimore Ravens.
Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph was in the mix, but it’s looking like he’s out of the running now. With a rookie quarterback likely coming in, it makes a lot of sense to pair him with an offensive-minded head coach. Right now, it looks like it’ll come down to Broncos quarterbacks coach Davis Webb and Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Raiders at Risk of Losing Top Coach if They Don’t Act Soon: Report appeared first on Heavy Sports.