There's an intriguing first-time candidate for the Raiders' HC job

The Las Vegas Raiders are back to square one. Firing Pete Carroll was a tough call, but it seemed like the right one.

Now, the front office must find the right guy to lead a young and promising team back to playoff contention.

The Raiders have an appealing situation for most head coaches and should have no shortage of potential suitors.

And even though there doesn't seem to be a clear frontrunner for the position, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer believes the Michigan connection could stir Tom Brady and GM John Spytek toward Jesse Minter.

Raiders could target Jesse Minter for their HC position

"There’s no leader yet. But I do think alignment will be at the top of the list in finding a candidate, so that person is going to have to line up not just with Tom Brady’s vision for the franchise, but with GM John Spytek and his personnel department," Breer wrote in his latest mailbag session. "One easy connection to make for both of them is through their shared alma mater, Michigan, and the defensive coordinator who led that school to a title, Chargers DC Jesse Minter."

Minter was the architect of Jim Harbaugh's championship-winning defense at Ann Arbor, and he followed him to the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chargers gave up the ninth-fewest points per game in the league this season (20.0) as well as the second-fewest total yards per game (300.3). They allowed the fifth-lowest third-down completion percentage (35.2 percent).

Tom Brady is reportedly set to be heavily involved in the hiring process -- again. So, given his connections in football, it wouldn't be shocking to see him turn to a fellow Wolverine for the next Raiders coach.