If we polled most associated with the Las Vegas Raiders who they’d want to be the next head coach, you’d likely find Antonio Pierce near the top of every list, with Jim Harbaugh and a few others prominently featured too. Several players have made their public pleas for the Raiders to change Pierce’s interim title to the full-time head coach.
Yet, that doesn’t mean the Raiders won’t still try and reel in a big fish, someone who’s been on the NFL coaching radar for longer than just a few months. That’s not a shot at Pierce; he did a great job, but the Raiders have bigger goals than just being competitive; they want to win Super Bowls. And other coaching candidates may be able to put the Raiders on a quicker path to being a top playoff contender just from already having proven the ability to reach the postseason.
While Pierce is a more-than-respectable candidate, the truth is, others are more qualified for the Raiders’ current head coaching vacancy, and it’s possible team owner Mark Davis wants to find more of a ‘sure thing.’
Related: Las Vegas Raiders star ‘drawing a line in the sand’ over coaching search heading into offseason
Mike Vrabel may be a stronger candidate to land with Las Vegas Raiders than you think
After the New England Patriots worked quickly to announce the Jerod Mayo hire, there are still seven NFL head coach vacancies remaining. The early belief was that Mike Vrabel, who was fired from the Tennessee Titans would be in consideration to land the Patriots’ head coaching position. Only, the team was reportedly never interested.
However, after Bill Belichick and Jim Harbaugh, Coach Vrabel has to be considered the very next best option available.
While the Patriots seemed like a perfect fit for Vrabel on paper, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer actually notes that there’s another team with an even stronger connection to the former Titans coach, the Las Vegas Raiders.
Thanks to their workings with Tom Brady, who reportedly attended the final team practice of the year, Vrabel has emerged as a potential candidate to land in Las Vegas. During his visit, the QB was seen speaking with interim GM Champ Kelly, and Brady’s attempts to purchase a minority stake in the Raiders have been well-documented.
Yet, the belief is that Brady wouldn’t just get involved with ownership and then leave things alone. He’d prefer to ‘meddle’ and offer his insight into the direction of the team.
Brady and Vrabel spent eight seasons together with the Patriots, where they won three Super Bowls together. It’s hard to imagine any scenario where Brady doesn’t advocate for his former teammate to be considered a top candidate for the Raiders’ head coaching vacancy, and as Breer notes, the “Brady-Vrabel link is definitely worth keeping an eye on.”
Related: Why Mike Vrabel is a dark-horse candidate for Las Vegas Raiders head-coaching position