Raiders Might Have 1 More Hurdle in their Pursuit of Ben Johnson

The Raiders appear to be the front runner to land Ben Johnson as their next head coach, but there are still details that need to be sorted out if he is going to end up in Las Vegas.

It has been rumored that the Raiders have discussed a massive contract with Johnson and money won’t be an issue for the organization in its pursuit of a new GM and head coach.

But according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, there are still other teams in play for Johnson and the Raiders’ ongoing GM search could factor into how the process plays out.

When the Raiders fired former GM Tom Telesco, it was a move clearly made with their next head coach in mind.

It’s no secret that Johnson intends to be particular with the first GM he works with as an head coach, and it’s been rumored that his preferred GM candidate is Washington Commanders AGM Lance Newmark.

Johnson and Newmark spent time together in Detroit and it would make sense if Johnson prefers to take a job with a GM he has worked with in the past.

But there’s another key figure playing into the hiring process in Las Vegas and that’s Tom Brady. Some believe Brady will prefer John Spytek to be the Raiders’ next general manager. Brady and Spytek have a relationship that goes back to college and, in theory, Spytek’s presence would give Brady a little more voice in the personnel department than he might have with other candidates.

There’s no way to know if added influence from Brady would be a positive development for the Raiders’ personnel department or not.

It has not been reported that there are any issues between Brady and Johnson, but if the two have different preferences for the next GM in Las Vegas, it will be interesting to see which side might be more inclined to relent.

Brady and Johnson have reportedly built a relationship in the last few months, but how much trust can be developed in that amount of time?

From the outside and maybe from the perspective of those involved, it’s fair to wonder if the balance of power in Las Vegas might come down to the team’s decision at general manager.

Surely that’s a dynamic that has crossed Johnson’s mind as he considers what his first head coaching job might look like in Las Vegas.

x: @raidersbeat