Raiders Hire Mike Sullivan As QBs Coach

Las Vegas announced its coaching staff on March 1, making this a surprise pickup a little over three weeks later. However, Sullivan was on the Raidars’ radar then. They interviewed Sullivan “a few weeks ago,” per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

After not coaching last season, the 59-year-old was set to join Rutgers’ staff as a senior offensive assistant in 2026. He will instead work as a QBs coach in the NFL for a fifth time. 

Sullivan has twice been a QBs coach with the Giants, first from 2010-11 and again in 2015. He worked with Eli Manning then and won a Super Bowl in 2011. Between those two stints, he served as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator from 2012-13. After his second run as the Giants’ QBs coach, they bumped him to OC in 2016. The promotion did not go as planned for the Giants, who let Sullivan’s contract expire after their offense was among the league’s lowest-scoring units in back-to-back seasons under him.

With his time as an O-coordinator up, Sullivan returned to a QBs coach role with the Broncos in 2018. With Case Keenum under center and Vance Joseph in his last season as the Broncos’ head coach, Sullivan was a one-and-done hire. He resurfaced as the Steelers’ QBs coach from 2021-23, during which he paired with Ben Roethlisberger, Mitchell Trubisky and Kenny Pickett. Former head coach Mike Tomlin moved Sullivan to a senior offensive assistant position in 2024.

Now returning as a QBs coach, Sullivan is likely to have a hand in developing the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft. The Raiders are expected to take Heisman Trophy-winning Indiana signal-caller Fernando Mendoza with the top selection. Sullivan will join Kubiak, offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko and pass-game coordinator Nick Holz as coaches who will play key roles in helping Mendoza make a smooth transition to the NFL in 2026.