The offseason is officially underway for the Raiders and it kicked off with a boom on Tuesday with the firing of head coach Antonio Pierce.
Two days later, GM Tom Telesco was relieved of his duties and the Raiders have now cleared from the building the two most influential voices on the football side of operations.
All the speculation now is about who the Raiders are going to hire to replace Pierce and Telesco, and it’s difficult to gauge how desirable the openings are going to be to some of the top coaching candidates on the market.
The Raiders haven’t been a picture of stability for last couple of decades and they don’t currently have a franchise quarterback on the roster.
For top coaching candidates like Ben Johnson and Mike Vrabel, will the presence of minority owner Tom Brady be enough to sell the organization over teams like the New England Patriots and others?
That remains to be seen, but it does sound like Raiders owner Mark Davis is gearing up for another big swing in the GM and head coaching hiring cycle.
“The way I’m sensing it is they’re ready to swing big,” JT the Brick said on his weekday Raider Nation Radio show. “So instead of doing something, one guy stays, one guy leaves, one guy didn’t stay, but the other guy kind of can, but he can’t hire the coach because the decision is going to be made over him, clean it out and… you don’t clean out unless you know you have something.”
“I was talking to one of my good friends before the show and I said, I think you’ll like this down the road because I think they’re going big. They’re not doing all this, getting rid of Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco to go small,” JT continued. “Because those are really good guys that were just relieved of their services, really good guys who fought to be here and wanted to be here. There is something bigger brewing where the Raiders want to jump in and do something big and bold.”
As for who might be at the top of the team’s list of candidates, JT hinted at a coaching preference others have been hinting at for a few days.
Outside of Ben Johnson, most believe the Raiders are going to focus their search on head coaches with experience, and that’s something Sports Illutrated insider Hondo Carpenter has been talking about since the day Pierce was fired.
JT mentioned two experienced coaches that have been linked to the Raiders, and in both cases it might be hard to convince the fan base that his examples would be “big and bold” hires.
“It could be a veteran coach to kind of get it right here and kind of stabilize the record. From a Pete Carroll, go down the road, Steve Spagnuolo,” JT added. “Look who they’re interviewing. Here’s something I could give you. Here’s something I could give you on the record. Just watch the people that they’re going to be interviewing here and putting out requests for. I think it’ll give you a clue for the type of coach that they want. If you look at all of them together.”
Carroll and Spagnuolo might be exactly what the Raiders need, but Johnson and Vrabel are going to be the candidates that get the most league-wide attention in this year’s hiring cycle.
Johnson is scheduled to have a virtual interview with the Raiders on Friday, and Carroll will meet with the team next week. Carroll has already interviewed for the Bears’ head coaching vacancy.
x: @raidersbeat
You know what happens when Mark Davis takes a big swing? He misses every time. No division titles; no playoff wins since Davis has owned the team. As bad as Dan Synder as an owner.
Aaron Glenn coach Louis Reddick GM!
First… I would love a Gruden rehire – he was the Last to Have the Team and Organization going in the Right direction until he was assasinated by Commish BADell… That won’t happen so… Coach Carroll would be a Fine pick. Many years of running and winning in an Organization he assembled. Love Spags as a DC – not much success as a HC in the N F L. Perhaps he has learned but there are MANY Great Coordinattors who Flop as HC. Head coaches don’t neccessarilly coach much these days… They Administer and Manage the Overall Picture. This is a Completely different skill than Coaching. I really think that the Raiders are Not really an Organization anymore… in Fact they have become used to being in Shambles and Failing Miserably. It is the Habit of Mark Davis (he knew no better – as much his Fathers fault as his own – that is another story)… But Winning is also a Habit – We Need a VERY experienced Coach to Set the Standard and have the Chops to execute it No Matter What!!
I am not buying what JT is selling. JT is an imported Giants fan from NY working as a paid apologist for his own benefit. As such he has job security but no one else does in Mark Davis’s small company. GO BIG? LOL, this is NOT THE RAIDERS ANYMORE, IT IS JUST MARK DAVIS’ FUC*ED UP SMALL COMPANY. Mark Davis is in over His head, did this trust fund baby even ever have a job? BOYCOTT until MARK DAVIS sells!
Competely agree. Before AP got fired JT was defending him saying the injuries in D & the quarterback hurt more than the coaching. One guy calls into agree with JT and he also says Mark needs to look in the mirror & stop scapegoating people. Then he says Mark hasn’t done anything as owner.
Of course, JT immediately hangs up on him & starts ranting that Mark got the stadium deal in Vegas. The stadium deal was Jerry Jones and Oakland politicians.
I have been a die hard Raider fan since 1969. I have seen all the good years and the bad. Other than a couple of good years when RICH Gannon was the quarterback, we pretty much have been terrible since Buffalo whipped our *** 51 to 3 in 1991 playoffs. I don’t know what the answer is for this team, but I do know you will never be successful by changing coaches and general managers every year or two. I’f you look at most successful organizations, they have the same coach for years and are always in the hunt for a title. Now, I watch the Raiders first game of the year and by half time I’m already saying same Raiders, different year and that’s depressing as hell. I cannot even watch a full game anymore I get so **** mad . To think at one time the Raiders had the best winning percentage of any professional sport and we did at one time have the most wins on Monday night football. I want the Raiders of the 70’s and early 80’s back. Back when ( JUST WIN BABY ) meant something !
We went to the playoffs 2 more times after that.
Art had the respect of the team & was was successful in a division with Elway.
Al didn’t realize that Art, like AP, came the team together. Then he fired him. Just like now we need talent & continuity and we have neither
Just like , another fan said , I was about 10 years old , when I became a ” RAIDERS fan , now age ” 67 , and believe you me , I’ve seen a lot ! good & BAD
and like many LOYAL FANS , I’m TIRED
and many OTHERS ARE TO !
here’s hoping , that I’ll be around when/ if they are ” RELEVANT AGAIN .
🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️