Last offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders thought they’d hit the jackpot by hiring Pete Carroll, a future Hall of Fame head coach with a Super Bowl win under his belt. Less than a year later, Carroll has been fired after leading Vegas to just a 3-14 record, one win fewer than Antonio Pierce.
The Raiders likely already have an internal wish list of candidates they’d like to interview for their head coaching vacancy. Raiders rumors are already tying them to one potential replacement.
Recently, before the Raiders even fired Carroll, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported a rumor that Las Vegas is already eyeing Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Flores would fill the head coaching vacancy, and he’d bring in former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll to coordinate the offense.
“There’s a rumor currently making the rounds that, once Brady rolls up his sleeves, he’ll make the case for bringing in Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
PFT’s Mike Florio on Raiders/Brian Flores
As the chatter goes, Flores would be the head coach, and former Giants coach Brian Daboll would be the offensive coordinator. Like Flores, Daboll has extensive experience with the Patriot Way. Daboll was there for the first three Super Bowl wins of the Brady/Belichick era, and for two of the second trio of championships.
Brady and Flores are believed to have a good relationship. Flores was among those in Miami who wanted to bring Brady to town after his time in Tampa.”
Bringing Flores aboard would certainly help patch up a Raiders defense that ranked 25th in points allowed in each of the past two seasons. As for Daboll, he has a history of working with young quarterbacks, from Josh Allen in Buffalo to Daniel Jones and Jaxson Dart in New York.
With the Raiders needing a new franchise quarterback and to overhaul their defense, this is one of those rumors that could make a lot of sense in the end. Plus, both candidates bring previous head coaching experience to a team that needs to develop an identity.
Related: NFL Cap Space By Team 2026: Most, Least Cap Space among all 32 NFL Teams
