On Sunday, the Raiders announced Rob Leonard as their new defensive coordinator, but according to NBC Sports host Mike Florio, there’s a chance another high-profile defensive coach could enter the mix in Las Vegas in the weeks ahead.
Florio believes former Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who resigned from his job after the Browns passed on him for their head coaching vacancy, could end up joining the Raiders at some point.
The Browns still hold the contract rights to Schwartz, but Florio believes the veteran head coach has the ability to force Cleveland to let him go.
“Based upon the people I’ve talked to since Rob Leonard was promoted to defensive coordinator, I’ve heard different opinions about this, but there is still a belief… that Schwartz could still end up with the Raiders,” Florio said on PFT Live on Monday.
“Assistant Head Coach Defense, Senior Defensive Assistant, something. They could still try to land him if and when the Browns release his rights,” Florio continued. “I just think that Schwartz is too d— smart to give up, to cry ‘Uncle’ and walk away. If he wants to coach this year, there’s a way to pull it off and the simplest thing to do, once the Browns name a new defensive coordinator is to say ‘I’m back, baby. I’m back.'”
“It’s just something I’m going to keep an eye on. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I think it would be foolish to not keep an eye on this because there’s just enough there to make you say… ‘Are the Browns playing checkers while Jim Schwartz is playing chess?’ Let’s see how it plays out.”
Florio also pointed out, as others have, that Leonard’s presence in the building could factor into Maxx Crosby’s decision on his future.
Crosby has a close relationship with Leonard, just as he did with Patrick Graham a year ago, when the Raiders pivoted under Pete Carroll and hired the coach Crosby was comfortable with.
Whether Graham’s presence factored into Crosby’s decision to extend his deal with the Raiders a year ago (remember he wasn’t happy with the organization at that time, either), we might never know. But it’s at least a little suspicious that Crosby extended his deal with the Raiders after Graham was brought back a year ago, and Carroll followed that move by essentially forcing Graham to run a different defense.
Crosby’s future in Las Vegas has been one of the biggest talking points around the league in recent weeks and every indication is that the sides still have a lot to sort out.
Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer said he doesn’t believe Crosby has “completely closed the book” on returning to the Raiders, but said it was getting close to that point not long ago.
“Does Maxx Crosby still feel as strongly as he did a couple weeks ago when I think he had almost mentally detached himself from playing for the Raiders anymore,” Breer said on his Monday Breer Report.
“[Maxx] is a guy who puts great value in being a Raider, has always wanted to be a one team guy, as rare as those are in today’s NFL. He’s always wanted to be a one team guy and has a really strong relationship with Mark Davis and that relationship is really part of what’s kept Crosby on board as a Raider. When you’ve got that strong of a relationship with the owner, you want to do right by the owner. You want to help the owner win and that can be a motivating factor not to have wandering eyes.”
“But now that he has had those wandering eyes, what does that look like?” Breer continued. “I think over a quarter of the league has already sort of sniffed around the possibility of [trading for] Crosby… the idea of adding Maxx Crosby would obviously be enticing to a lot of teams and the Raiders could bring back a big haul.”
x: @raidersbeat
We already have our DC in place. Focus on getting Jeff Stoutland for the offensive line.
This is spitball journalism at it’s finest, garbage.