The Raiders appear to have a legitimate front runner for their head coaching job.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport alluded to it on Saturday and now Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter seems to be getting behind Johnson as the lead candidate in the clubhouse to be the next head coach in Las Vegas.
“I know Ian Rapoport has reported that the Raiders are enamored with Ben Johnson. I don’t know who he spoke to, but I can tell you that same word was used with me,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast. “I was also told it was enamoring for Ben Johnson, that him and Tom Brady have really hit it off in a big way.”
“I was told by an NFL executive who is very knowledgeable of the process, “Hondo continued, “the same one who told me they did not think the Raiders were going to get [Mike] Vrabel, they would be surprised if anyone other than Ben, they think that Ben will clearly emerge as the lead candidate, that Tom Brady was extremely impressed with him, and that he was extremely impressed with Tom Brady.”
Previously, Carpenter talked about the Raiders knowing where they want their coaching process to end, and all signs right now point to that being Johnson.
“I’m hearing from people in the NFL, and I believe this, the Raiders know where they want this to end,” Carpenter said on an earlier episode of the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast. “They are casting a wide net to get a lot of free evaluations of their franchise, but they know where they want this to end.”
Reading between the lines a little, don’t be surprised if a report eventually comes out that the Raiders had another candidate at the top of their list at the time they fired Antonio Pierce.
It feels like their connection with Johnson has come on quickly and he wasn’t necessarily a candidate they thought would impress them the way he has.
One other detail that might be worth addressing was a statement from league insider Josina Anderson, who has been rightfully skeptical about some of the details around the Raiders and Johnson.
“Pay attention to the order of Ben Johnson’s interviews, and think about how leverage is best constructed,” Anderson posted on X on Saturday. “The idea is to make the team you’re most interested in, the most anxious. These coaching hires are two-way decisions; thus organizations have to convince top coaching prospects just as much.”
What is interesting about Johnson’s situation is that he hasn’t been linked to any other teams the way he has the Raiders. Not even close.
The Bears were considered by many to be his best opportunity, but there doesn’t seem to be any momentum in that direction right now.
If Johnson and his agent were bluffing about the Raiders, one would think there would be at least a little smoke around another team, but that has not been the case.
x: @raidersbeat
No knock on Josina but talking heads, their talking heads. My guess is if the Raiders take a coach out of Detroit it’s gonna be Aaron Glenn. He’s been considered by Al Dais and many other head coaching vacancies throughout the years. I think the Raiders are banking on a defense to keep opponents under 20 points a game and they’ll be competitive.
Hondo blowing smoke up your behind as usual. He has several NFL sources yet he’s got no idea who Ian Rappaport is talking to? All he does is spread internet gossip. The guy who runs da bears blog says Johnson wants the Chicago job.
I just hope we as RAIDERS fans get THE BEST COACH AVAILABLE! Also with TB12 in the building whoever the guy is he’s gonna have all the tools in the tool box made available to him & time to sharpen those tools into weapons ☠️🏴☠️💯
Dude it’s not just Hondo with reports that Ben Johnson will be our next HC. I got a feeling it was his job when we fired Telesco. Because after and before firing AP all reports said Telesco job was safe and that mark Davis liked the job he was doing with the draft last year and all. Then it was a report that Ben Johnson didn’t necessarily want a HC job where it was a GM in place that he wouldn’t be comfortable with. So when we fired Telesco I kinda got a strong feeling then that Ben Johnson was definitely the front runner for the HC job. Oh and plus I can’t remember where I read it at but I read a article either day before or after Telesco was fired that it was a couple HC candidates for our HC job that told the team that if the job was offered they would more than likely take it. Maybe Johnson was one of the two. But you can’t dog Hondo when he’s not the only one with these same reports and then with how the Telesco firing lines up with the report of Ben Johnson wanting a GM he’s familiar or comfortable with. Then in the very beginning of all the HC jobs Ben Johnson was constantly linked to the Chicago job..over the past week no major reporter’s are even saying that anymore ..it’s all been reports it’s the raiders where Johnson is going. So I could be wrong but IMO the dots are starting to connect. Just hope Johnson doesn’t bail on us like he did the skins last year
Yeah just like you blowing smoke up our *** with that dumb *** comment. Is Ian rappaport reporting or josina Anderson or Adam scheduler reporting that Johnson wants that Chicago job? So that who runs da bears blog who is like Hondo carpenter…they both do reports on their respective teams…but yet you hollering Hondo don’t know **** he’s just gossiping…but yet the guy who reports for da bears that’s saying Johnson wants the Chicago job is credible…he’s not just gossiping. Tell me something what’s the difference between the two..since you believe da bears guy but yet Hondo is just gossiping. I’ll tell you the difference since you don’t have a lick of common sense… Hondo at least has other credible reporters saying **** near word for word the same thing Hondo is reporting. You just don’t wanna believe these reports for whatever reason IDK. Maybe you just a hater of Hondo or you really don’t have any common sense. Which one is it dude?
Everyone who is talking pretty much doesn’t know anything. They are just guessing. I am just hopeful that all the losing we have had the past 20-25 years has finally gotten the Rider to say ENOUGH!! I’m very sure that Al Davis is pissed!! He would have had the problem fixed if not for declining health. Even when he picked Jamarcus Russell he was in declining health. Lane Kiffin did not want Russell, he wanted Calvin Johnson aka Megatron!! That was a mistake by Al and he didn’t make a lot of personnel mistakes and if he did he corrected them quickly. I know a lot of fans are disappointed in the way Mark Davis has run the franchise but we really shouldn’t be and should give him some credit and some understanding. He pulled off what even I don’t think Al could have done in getting that brand NEW stadium built in Vegas. You gotta give him his due for that Great Job!! We now have a beautiful home. Now if he can get the football part of the job done correctly he will be riding high!! Come on Mark!! Show these folks and fans what you are made of and WHO you are!! I got confidence in you man!! Let’s get this right this time….
Yeah all the reporter’s are basically saying the same thing but they don’t know ****. Ok. They just making up **** but isn’t it funny how the raiders front office.. Tom Brady.. Mark Davis… Ben Johnson..none of them have came out to call these reports false or untruthful. You don’t find that funny. If someone was running their mouth about me and it wasn’t true I’d definitely come out and to say they was lying . But yet not anyone of them have called these Ben Johnson to the raiders reports lies. These reporters no matter how much you yourself might hate them ain’t gonna just make up reports to the public without some kind of inside information from either side. Im not saying they don’t get some of the information wrong..but trust me majority of their reports are probably true. They wouldn’t have jobs if they just kept reporting on their own gut feelings…so what they do report has came from someone inside the raiders camp or the Ben Johnson camp..period. So you wrong saying these reporters don’t no ****…no..what it is..is you don’t no **** but you wanna say comments like you no wtf you’re talking bout when you just like me…a guy giving his opinion on things we read and hear ..only thing I see different between us though is I’m not that stupid to say that all these reporters are wrong and don’t know **** when common sense tells you.. they’re not just getting these reports outta thin air…someone from either party is giving them this information. I guess your a liberal because these days them and their followers don’t have a lick of common sense.
Aaron Glenn isn’t getting the job. Im saying that right now . Ben Johnson is going to be our next HC. To many reports and the way Telesco was fired and how Johnson said that he wanted to work with a GM he’s comfortable with..I’m telling you now… Ben Johnson is all but name signed on the contract a done deal. I could be wrong but I’m **** near 100%sure he’s got the job.
We need to get a great coach and then get our players. Don’t do anything stupid in the first round. Let the draft come to us!! Pick the best players available no matter positions. We need everything. We can get a good QB in the second round. We got the Snake in the second round and like him or hate him we Carr in that round as well. I really like Dillon Gabriel. Yes he has a stinker in the CFP but he was awesome during the season. Whoever we get has to be able to do it with his legs as well as his arm. Can’t be in Patrick Mahomes division and not be able to run. I don’t think the QB we really want will be there so take the RB, or one of the Mammoth OT’s or DT’s. We can also get an outstanding WR or CB. It’s wide open with the number 6 pick. One thing I would like to say is that AP was exactly right about Jayden Daniels!! What an Outstanding QB he is. If he would have been able to get him like he wanted to I believe he would still have his job….
Of course Brady likes him, Ben Johnson runs the Earnhardt-Perkins offense. Lame. Get us a West Coast or Air Coryell guy. Then get us Arch Manning in 2026.
*Earhardt