The Las Vegas Raiders head coaching search will continue this week, as the franchise has interviews scheduled with multiple candidates over the next few days, including former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh, former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, and Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. The team is also set to interview Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken at a later date.
The Raiders also met with a few candidates last week, one being Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Las Vegas had a virtual interview with Johnson on Jan.10, and according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Raiders are “enamored” with the South Carolina native. The Lions’ coach has become a serious candidate for the franchise’s head coaching job.
Johnson interviewing with the Raiders is a fantastic development, and according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, it only happened for one reason: Minority owner Tom Brady.
According to Breer, Johnson’s original plan was to interview with three teams, and the Raiders were not on the list. But Brady’s influence convinced Detroit’s offensive coordinator to meet with Las Vegas.
“Johnson’s initial plan was to take three interviews, with the Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Patriots. But Brady’s sell job, through intermediaries, made the difference,” Breer reported on Monday.
Breer also added in his article that Brady won’t be involved with day-to-day operations with the Raiders but also stated that the seven-time Super Bowl champion undoubtedly has a major impact on the organization’s search for a new head coach.
“Now, to be clear, I don’t think it’s Brady’s intention to be there day to day—his family being in Florida full-time will likely prevent that for the time being,” Breer wrote. “But I also don’t think he’s going to put his name on anything that he doesn’t feel like he can fully put his name behind. It’s been well established that Brady wasn’t wild about the way things operated with Antonio Pierce, which is one reason why Pierce isn’t there anymore.”
Brady’s involvement in Las Vegas is much needed, as the Hall of Famer’s connections around the league landed the Raiders an interview with Ben Johnson, and it’s clear the 23-year NFL veteran is trying to steer the franchise in the right direction.
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