The Las Vegas Raiders continue to pick up steam on the coaching search.
Last week, the Raiders made serious headway with Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. The team conducted a virtual interview with him on Friday, and he is widely considered to be the top candidate by the team so far.
The Raiders held virtual interviews with Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo on Friday, as well.
This week brings a new group of candidates to interview, as well as a new face joining the conversation.
On Monday, the Raiders conducted an in-person interview with former Seattle Seahawks and Super Bowl winning head coach Pete Carroll. Similar to Johnson, Carroll is considered to be a favorite to get the head coaching job.
Former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh will interview with the team on Thursday. Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken has been requested for an interview by the Raiders as well, but it has yet to be scheduled.
Meanwhile, the Raiders placed another request for an interview, this time for Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
Joseph has served as the Broncos’ defensive coordinator for the past two seasons, and the team has responded well after a rough first year. Denver gave up the third-fewest points in the NFL this season and ranked first in sacks, headlined by outside linebacker Nik Bonitto’s 13.5 sacks.
The defensive unit Joseph put together was the catalyst for Denver’s first playoff appearance since 2016, when the Broncos won Super Bowl 50. Unfortunately, the Broncos were knocked out in their Wild Card game against the Buffalo Bills 31-7 on Sunday.
Should he accept the request, it is expected that the Raiders and Joseph will interview sometime next week. League rules state that teams cannot conduct in-person interviews with coaching candidates currently employed by teams until the end of the divisional round, which occurs this weekend.
The Raiders are exploring every possible option for their head coaching search, and hopefully they find the right person for the job.
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