Insider links Raiders with big-name HC candidate amid Tom Brady, Bill Belichick whispers

Shortly before it was learned on Thursday that the Las Vegas Raiders had fired general manager Tom Telesco, a report emerged claiming that Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was "intrigued by" possibly becoming the next head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

However, Johnson "might want his own general manager in place" instead of current Jaguars GM Trent Baalke.

In Friday's edition of The Athletic's "Scoop City" newsletter, NFL insider Dianna Russini shared how Raiders minority owner Tom Brady's involvement in Las Vegas' search for a new head coach could result in Johnson rejecting clubs such as the Jaguars and Chicago Bears to join the Raiders. 

"This had nothing to do with Telesco as a GM," Russini said about the Raiders' latest offseason move. "This has everything to do with what Brady wants to bring to Las Vegas. From what I gather, he really wants a head coach and a GM in tandem who know each other and speak the same language. 

"Somebody who we know wants to have a lot of power in the decision-making process: Johnson, who has agreed to interview with the Raiders — something I can tell you was not going to happen if Brady had not been involved with this organization." 

Regardless of whether or not Brady is truly "running" the Raiders as was alleged earlier in the week, it's now clear he is, at the very least, an active part of the franchise's latest reset. Some are convinced Brady wants to lure former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick away from the North Carolina Tar Heels, but North Carolina general manager Mike Lombardi insisted on Thursday that recent chats between the two legends were largely about Brady "listening for advice." On Friday, Russini echoed Lombardi's update and said the conversation "was not about Belichick leaving the University of North Carolina to coach the Raiders." 

Many assumed as far back as this past fall that Brady would want to hire former teammate and one-time Associated Press Coach of the Year Award winner Mike Vrabel, but New England reportedly is "the heavy favorite" to win Vrabel's services. The Raiders don't yet have a promising young quarterback on the roster, as do clubs such as the Patriots, Jaguars, and Bears, but it seems the thought of working under Brady could be enough to cause Johnson to reexamine where he may want to land, assuming he decides to leave Detroit this winter.