The Raiders appear to have found their head coach, but because of the playoffs it could be a while before they can hire Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
As The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported on Wednesday, there are several teams that feel like the league is holding up coaching hires and the Raiders are probably one of the teams on her list.
Assuming Johnson gets the job in Las Vegas, the first big decisions of his head coaching career will involve his coaching staff. But one of the most compelling storylines around the Raiders over the next few months is going to be the team’s approach to finding a quarterback.
With the no. 6 pick in the draft, the Raiders can’t count on the opportunity to get one of the top quarterbacks in the draft. Potentially complicating matters even more, there are some who don’t believe there is an elite passer in this year’s draft.
There aren’t any overwhelmingly exciting quarterback options expected to hit free agency and that means the Raiders might have to look into trade possibilities if they are going to add a quarterback to compete with Aidan O’Connell in the offseason.
One of the popular trade ideas that was kicked around for a while was Minnesota quarterback J.J. McCarthy, but after the Vikings end-of-season collapse, it feels like the door is probably shut on the idea of McCarthy leaving Minnesota.
There was a case to be made for the Vikings to give Sam Darnold a long-term deal and roll with him for the foreseeable future, but Darnold played poorly in the final two games of the season and the Vikings were ousted from the playoffs sooner than anyone would have predicted a month ago.
So what other trade possibilities might be out there for the Raiders?
The latest name to be brought up is former University of Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker, who is in his second NFL season after being drafted by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 2023 draft.
Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter talked about Hooker on his podcast on Wednesday and he implied that there is a real possibility the Raiders will go after Hooker if Johnson is hired as the head coach.
“Ben Johnson is clearly the [Raiders] no. 1 target [so] what would you trade for a Hendon Hooker?” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast. “He’s got a couple years experience in the Ben Johnson system, so he comes in… and competes and you could still go draft a guy. You still have Aidan [O’Connell] there, so he instantly competes.”
“[Hooker] already knows the Ben Johnson system and what if you get him for a second [round pick], or whatever you get him for. I think that’s fascinating. I don’t think it’s getting enough attention so I’m throwing it out there… I think that’s a very viable option for the Raiders. I’m not in any way reporting it’s done. Detroit would have to want to do the deal, but I think if the Raiders were to get Ben Johnson and he’s clearly the front runner… I think [Hooker] is a real possibility and I did not come up with that on my own.”
Hooker is 27 years-old and suffered a significant knee injury in his final college game at Tennessee.
Had he not torn his ACL, Hooker probably would have been a first-round pick and his experience in Johnson’s offense will presumably be a huge appeal for Johnson and the Raiders as they move forward with what they are trying not to consider a complete organizational rebuild – at least not on the field.
But before the Tom Brady and company can get to any decisions on the coaching staff and quarterbacks, they need to close the deal with Johnson.
As the Washington Commanders learned a year ago, a lot can go wrong as the hiring process drags out and the hope in Las Vegas right now is that nothing will change Johnson’s mind on the Raiders between now and the end of the season.
f
x: @raidersbeat