On Tuesday, Vinny Bonsignore, who is the Raiders beat writer for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, listed five coaches the Raiders are expected have interest in for their vacant head coaching position.
“Former Titans coach Mike Vrabel, Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen, former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are among the candidates the Raiders are expected to consider. That list could expand in the coming days,” Bonsignore reported just hours after the news that Antonio Pierce had been fired.
By rule, the NFL would require the list to expand to satisfy the Rooney Rule, and on Wednesday morning league insider Mike Silver reported that Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is on the short list of candidates for the Raiders’ job.
“[Brian] Flores will interview with the New York Jets and Chicago Bears about their head-coaching openings and is expected to be a candidate for the Las Vegas Raiders’ job,” Silver reported at The Athletic on Wednesday.
Flores is the architect of the vaunted Minnesota defense that has played a huge role in the team’s 14-3 record entering the playoffs.
Maybe just as importantly, Flores has a connection with Tom Brady from their time together in New England. The former Miami Dolphins head coach served on Bill Belichick’s staff from 2008 to 2018 and would understand the organizational structure that Brady is hoping to create in Las Vegas.
It will also be viewed as a positive that Flores has gained experience within the Vikings organization, which is considered by many to be one of the most well-run franchises in the NFL.
Additionally, it has been reported that Flores will interview with the New York Jets and Chicago Bears about their head-coaching openings in the days ahead.
On Tuesday, NFL insider Josina Anderson talked about the Raiders speaking with two “behind the scenes” candidates and Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter made similar reference on his daily podcast.
He was vague, but Carpenter was clearly sending a message that the top candidates for the job in Las Vegas aren’t necessarily names that have been getting the most attention.
”There are plenty of very good candidates out there that maybe aren’t being talked about and I’ll leave it there,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
x: @raidersbeat
Flores. That defense that was eviscerated against the lions? SMH
I your going to reach pull someone out of the college ranks.
This franchise needs a Pete Carrol to bring stability and a real resume.
What? That game was close until the 4th quarter. If anything the offenses inability to score td’s is why they ultimately got blown out. We don’t need a coach that isn’t in it for the long haul. That would exclude, both, Carroll and Belichek. We need a young cutting edge coach, preferably from the offensive side.
Considering Gruden,McDaniels and AP,Pete Carroll,Floresor any of the rest would be a major improvement…!
Brian Flores has proven himself to be an excellent defensive coach. The questions would be about his ability to motivate and work well with players. He’s indicated in interviews he feels like he’s learned from his experiences in Miami. Hopefully Ken Herock gets around to asking about that in his interview, or do they not give a *&$# about the Dolphins either?
That said, I also think Patrick Graham is a pretty **** good defensive coach too, so I hope he gets a look, considering he would bring some continuity.
My problem with Graham is that the defense almost always got out-coached in the 2nd half.