The Raiders are one of nine teams with head coaching vacancies going into this year’s hiring cycle, and there is a lot to be sorted out with names like John Harbaugh. Mike Tomlin and Mike McDaniel now in the mix.
The Raiders are considered longshots to land Harbaugh and most likely Tomlin and McDaniel, too.
Many believe Tom Brady and GM John Spytek are going to prioritize finding a young offensive-minded head coach, but an ESPN report on Tuesday predicted they would settle on Robert Saleh, who they tried to hire a year ago.
The same decision-makers that were in Las Vegas a year ago are there today, and Saleh has not done anything in the last year to sour his reputation around the league. If anything, his stock has risen.
The 49ers lost their two most dynamic defensive players to injury this season and somehow managed to keep it together on the defensive side of the ball, and on Sunday held the defending Super Bowl champions to 19 points on their way to the NFC Divisional Round.
Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter offered his early guess on the next head coach in Las Vegas, and he is leaning toward the Raiders settling on one of two young offensive coaches.
“I think if they go a defensive route, it’ll be a Robert Saleh. If they go the defensive route,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
“But if I was saying it today, I still believe Klint Kubiak and Mike LaFleur are your top candidates with Davis Webb right there as well… I think you’re looking at Kubiak and LaFleur as your top runners with Davis Webb. If those guys are 1A and 1B, then [Webb] would be 2.”
It could be another week or two before the NFL coaching carousel begins to take shape, but it might not be Harbaugh and the other headliner candidates that are hired first. A handful of teams already know they are getting one of the “big fish” in this year’s hiring cycle and there’s a good chance the Raiders aren’t looking for one of the veteran coaches.
After what happened with Pete Carroll in 2025, Brady and Spytek may lean into candidates with a little less likelihood to wiggle into personnel decisions the way Carroll did.
Additionally, it was clear from the start of the season that Carroll wasn’t focused on a long-term approach in Las Vegas, and it was obvious from the team statement last week that they want their next head coach to be more focused on the future.
x: @raidersbeat
When is the organization going to do some internal housekeeping? If things aren’t right within then how can anyone have faith in who they hire as the next head coach? It has come down to what coach is willing to tarnish their reputation in exchange for tolerating dysfunction while making a boatload of money. Let’s see who steps into the clown car this time.
Why consider Harbaugh, he’s 64 years old.
I think I prefer Webb over everyone else.
Kubiak!!!!
Ameer Abdullah, Josh Jacobs, Davante Adams, Robert Spillane, Demico Autry, Jacobi Meyers all did well for other teams, this year. These players were not the problem, Raiders “leadership” ( or more accurately the lack thereof) was. Tre Tucker’s and Michael Mayer’s “problems” are the Raiders organization, most specifically offensive line and inept quarterback play. If anyone doubts this then watch them go to another team and be productive. The Raiders need, in addition to a competent offensive line, veteran quarterback depth, namely Malik Willis as the starter, Joshua Dobbs as the backup and a rookie who won’t be under pressure to start immediately. That’s how you add competent depth at this position.
Zamir White, Dillon Laube, Tyree Wilson, Kenny Pickett, Geno Smith and Adian O’Connell all need to be let go. Additionally, it wouldn’t hurt to address the (not so) Special teams. The offensive line and Special Teams coaches could use a serious upgrade. It seems that we are stuck with the guys who call themselves “Raiders Management,” so let’s see how they, this year, address last year’s “team” that they put on the field. No matter what they do, all the sportswriters will talk about is how things are looking up, until the team actually starts playing games.