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Controversial Former Raiders LB Lands Coaching Job in Las Vegas

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Austin C. Boyd | Last updated Aug 7, 2025 5:48 PM ET

There was a time when Vontaze Burfict was one of the top linebackers in the NFL. He was an All-Pro with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2013.

However, he kept getting suspended by the NFL for making illegal hits during games. He eventually made his way to the Raiders, where he quickly earned a starting linebacker job.

He lasted four games before a helmet-to-helmet hit on Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle during the 2019 season led to him getting suspended for the whole season. He was never able to get back onto an NFL team after that.

Burfict never technically retired from football, but it looks like he's officially moving on to other career paths.

Burfict Lands Coaching Job at UNLV

Burfict is likely done playing football, but that doesn't mean he can't be involved in other ways. According to The Athletic's Justin Williams, Burfict has been hired by UNLV to be a defensive assistant under head coach Dan Mullen.

Was just informed former Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict is a defensive analyst at UNLV under first-year coach Dan Mullen and interim defensive coordinator Paul Guenther.

Guenther was Burfict’s LB coach and DC with the Bengals for a number of years. https://t.co/SfP7wTwJuo pic.twitter.com/is8IrVs4Sw
— Justin Williams (@Williams_Justin) August 7, 2025

UNLV football is coming off its best season since 1974, but former head coach Barry Odom leveraged that success to land a job as the head coach at Purdue. Mullen was once one of the hottest coaches in college football before a couple of down years at Florida led to him getting fired.

UNLV should be a strong spot for him to rebuild his coaching career.

Burfict Reuniting With Paul Guenther

Notably, Burfict is going to reunite with a familiar face. Paul Guenther is currently the interim defensive coordinator at UNLV for the 2025 season. It remains to be seen if he'll have the job on a permanent basis, but he'll at least be leading the defense for the 2025 season.

Burfict and Guenther go way back. The latter was the former's linebackers coach and then defensive coordinator on the Bengals.

When Guenther went to the Raiders, he brought Burfict over. The two have a strong working relationship, and Guenther seems to be one of the few who can overlook Burfict's issues on the field. It'll be interesting to see what Burfict is able to do in the coaching world.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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