From the minute Antonio Pierce’s job looked to be in trouble, the popular candidate to be the Raiders next head coach has been Mike Vrabel.
Vrabel has the obvious connection to Tom Brady and the former Patriots linebacker has been one of the most popular candidates in this year’s hiring cycle. But Vrabel never interviewed with the Raiders, and he was named head coach of the New England Patriots on Sunday.
When Jarod Mayo was fired in New England, Vrabel quickly became the Patriots’ no. 1 target, but it was a surprise to some that he never met with the Raiders.
One of the reasons the Raiders didn’t interview Vrabel, according to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, was the hesitancy of owner Mark Davis to sign up for another round of the ‘Patriot Way’ in Las Vegas.
“Everyone with WiFi service assumed and reported that [Vrabel] was Brady’s guy and would obviously be in the mix for the Raiders job. But Vrabel wasn’t on the Raiders’ interview list last week. One reason may surprise you,” Tafur reported on Sunday. “Davis apparently is not interested in another go-round with ‘The Patriots Way’ after the failure of Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler two years ago, according to league sources.”
For Raider fans, the idea of distancing the organization from the ‘Patriot Way’ is a welcomed message.
The Josh McDaniels era in Las Vegas was a forgettable 21 months and it well-documented how poorly Bill Belichick protégés have performed as head coaches in the NFL. Vrabel might have been an exception with the Titans, but his 54-45 coaching record in Tennessee didn’t necessarily turn the organization around.
Despite not getting an interview, Vrabel was definitely a candidate in Las Vegas, but it seems Brady and company have turned their attention to Ben Johnson in recent days.
When Johnson agreed to an interview with the Raiders, some wondered if the Lions offensive coordinator was simply taking the interview out of respect for Brady. Even if that was the case, it sounds like Johnson and Brady hit it off in the interview, and an NFL Network report on Saturday certainly made it sound like there was mutual interest between Johnson and the Raiders.
“While the coaching world can invite all sorts of craziness, sources say there is one particular team to keep an eye on for Johnson: the Las Vegas Raiders,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Saturday. “He has quickly emerged as the candidate to watch for Las Vegas, as the Raiders — in a search that prominently includes limited partner Tom Brady — are willing to wait as long as it takes to secure their potential future head coach… Las Vegas is said to be enamored with Johnson, sources say.”
If Johnson doesn’t end up with the Raiders, the no. 2 candidate on their list right now looks to be former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vinny Bonsignore has been pounding the drum for Carroll for about a week and it has been reported that the 73-year-old coach will interview with the Raiders on Monday.
“A lot of momentum is building for Pete Carroll,” Bonsignore reported on X on Friday. “In many ways, he is exactly what they need right now. Likely with a protégée/successor that comes on board with him.”
Previously, Bonsignore called Carroll “the” name to watch for the Raiders, and Carroll’s resume fits the description of what the team is reportedly looking for in their next head coach.
x: @raidersbeat
I’m glad the Patriots got Vrabel, I didn’t want my Raiders hiring him! If he was such a great coach ,he would still be coaching the Titans.