Top coaching candidate in consideration for Raiders job

The Las Vegas Raiders are in position to pick up one of the top coaching candidates on the market this offseason.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel has been linked to the Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys’ coaching jobs should they open up.

While the Raiders should expect to have some competition for Vrabel if he is their preferred target, helping their cause is the fact that the Cowboys seem content on keeping their current head coach Mike McCarthy for longer. He has the support of quarterback Dak Prescott, and team owner Jerry Jones even spoke positively about McCarthy in a radio interview.

That would put the Raiders in prime position to land Vrabel if the team decides to move on from head coach Antonio Pierce this offseason. It is important to note that everything that has transpired this season does not fall solely at Pierce’s feet, as the roster was constructed with serious questions at quarterback and injuries have ravaged the lineup multiple times. That being said, a 2-11 record is a 2-11 record, and Pierce has had moments (Week 1’s fourth-quarter punt against the Los Angeles Chargers, the final drive on Black Friday against the Kansas City Chiefs, etc.) where his lack of coaching experience came back to haunt him and the Raiders.

Helping Vrabel’s case with the Raiders further is who is making the decisions. Vrabel’s former New England Patriots teammates Tom Brady and Richard Seymour are current part-owners of the Raiders, and they are expected to advise principal owner Mark Davis on any on-field matters this offseason. The influence of Brady, in particular, has been a point of emphasis since his ownership bid was approved in October.

“New Raiders minority owner Tom Brady represents “excellence,” according to Raiders majority owner Mark Davis. While Brady is busy broadcasting for Fox and may have only 10 percent equity in the Raiders, I expect his involvement in running the team to be closer to 90 percent,” Dianna Russini of The Athletic wrote. “We already know the organization wants to lean on Brady when picking a future quarterback. One of Davis’s strengths is his openness to listening to experienced football people, and he values Brady’s understanding of what it takes to win at a high level.”

Vrabel is currently working with the Cleveland Browns as a consultant. Prior to that, he served as head coach of the Titans for six years (2018-23), amassing a 54-45 record with the team. The Titans made the playoffs three consecutive years between 2019-21 with Vrabel at the helm, including advancing to the AFC Championship Game in 2019 and earning the top seed in the AFC in 2021.

There is no denying that hiring Vrabel would be massive for the Raiders, but there are some questions left to be answered before the speculation reaches a fever pitch.