The Raiders weren’t expected to be able to bring back defensive coordinator Patrick Graham for the 2025 season, and his decision to return to Las Vegas has been one of the pleasant surprises of the offseason.
Graham had been linked to the Jaguars head coach and defensive coordinator jobs, and according to a report this week, the Raiders’ veteran defensive coordinator was close to being offered the head coaching job in Jacksonville before Liam Coen made a last-second phone call to the owner.
“[Patrick Graham] was getting the Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching job, but the owner had put a quarter of a billion dollars into a quarterback,” Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast. “Liam Coen calls them while they are finishing the second interview, closing the deal, and says ‘Hey, okay, I’ll come to Jacksonville now.’ So they went offensive, but that’s how close [Graham] was [to getting the job].”
Given those details from Carpenter, it makes even more sense why Graham chose to turn down the Jaguars for their defensive coordinator job.
According to league insider Josina Anderson, the Jaguars turned to Graham to fill their vacant defensive coordinator position after Coen was hired, but Graham had already reached a verbal agreement with the Raiders.
“Thursday morning I heard from additional league sources telling me that Graham actually continued to be in demand through the negotiations of his deal to return to Las Vegas —as Jacksonville still attempted to insert last minute persuasions to make him a Jaguar,” Anderson reported two weeks ago.
The following Monday, Carpenter added to Anderson’s report, saying Graham actually turned down more money to stay in Las Vegas.
“Patrick [Graham] had the opportunity to go other places for other money, and I [haven’t] addressed any more… but now some of the details have leaked and I’m going to go ahead and give them all to you,” Hondo said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
“Moments after the story broke that Patrick Graham was going to re-sign with the Raiders, the Jacksonville Jaguars reached out to him and made it abundantly clear asking him not to sign a deal [with the Raiders] and they were willing to pay him more than what the Raiders are going to pay him. But Patrick Graham nixed it and said, ‘No, I gave my word’ and didn’t turn it into a bidding war.”
Now it sounds like the Jaguars might have hurt their chances of getting Graham when they changed directions on their head coaching hire. No one has reported that Graham was upset at the way the interview process played out in Jacksonville, but if they backed out on him at the 11th hour, it makes sense that he wouldn’t choose to bail them out by filling their defensive coordinator vacancy.
As for the Raiders, it’s a huge deal that Graham will be on the sideline again next year.
First, head coach Pete Carroll will retain one of the best defensive coordinators in the league. And almost as importantly, it sounds like Graham’s presence could be key to bringing back a few notable free agents on the defensive side of the ball.
x: @raidersbeat
Good Deal Graham coming back. Crosby now stay with the Raiders the hell with the 49″s
It’s a bit much to say he’s one of the best defensive coordinators in the league Hondo. And Coen was their 1st choice and if Trent B would’ve been fired earlier than Coen would’ve already signed. So we have an very old HC, an overpaid OC and a DC who doesn’t sound like he wanted to be here. This has the makings of a terrible partnership. And P.S. we have an inept owner and a blow hard part time owner who can’t seem to make up his mind on what he’d like to do.
glad he’s staying. hopefully less injury next year, and,awesome defense…hahaha yay
Glad he’s back with the Raiders. Package up a few picks and trade for Lawerence. Jacksonville is a train wreck.