Hill: Where does Raiders coaching job rank among openings?
The Raiders are several days into their search for a coach, something we’ve often written since the NFL franchise moved to Las Vegas.
The mission for team owner Mark Davis and minority owner Tom Brady, who appears to be calling the shots, is to find the right person for the job for years to come. To finally bring stability to the team and help build a consistent winner.
But the Raiders need to get that person to accept the job, which could be an issue. There are six coaching jobs available, and let’s face it, the Raiders’ one isn’t the most desirable.
So with a somewhat short list of candidates for the six jobs, highly sought-after coaches such as Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson don’t have to jump at the first offer.
It’s important, then, to take a look at where the Raiders’ job stands in the pecking order.
Here’s one man’s rankings of the jobs from most to least desirable with the caveat that there are two distinct tiers between the top three and the bottom three:
1. Bears
It’s close between the Bears and New England Patriots, but Chicago gets the nod because the ceiling is so high for quarterback Caleb Williams.
Williams had an inconsistent rookie season, but he showed enough upside to reinforce why the Bears took him with the No. 1 pick. That’s enough to offset the difficult spot Chicago finds itself in as part of a loaded NFC North.
The Bears have plenty of cap space and draft capital to improve quickly.
2. Patriots
A young quarterback is in place, as rookie Drake Maye showed plenty of promise late in the season, and the Patriots have the most cap space in the league.
There are decent teams to climb over in the AFC East, but the Buffalo Bills will soon have cap issues and the New York Jets could be a mess.
There’s also decent stability in the building, which is unique among the openings.
3. Jaguars
The last of the top tier, but still far ahead of the second tier.
The jury is still out on quarterback Trevor Lawrence, especially at the price of his mega-contract, but he can still be a competent starter and gives the new coach someone to build around.
Jacksonville also has a budding star in young wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and plays in one of the weaker divisions right now.
4. Raiders
It’s the best job of the second tier but not a great one.
The Raiders will look to sell the idea that Brady will bring stability to the front office. A person close to the team recently joked that it would be nice to have one normal day at the facility.
The quarterback situation is basically a shrugging emoji, but there is a ton of cap space and some talented young players who got their feet wet this season.
5. Jets
The Aaron Rodgers dilemma makes this a mess.
It’s an experiment that hasn’t worked out, and yet there’s no clean way of getting out of the contract, even if Rodgers retires.
The best-case scenario is he decides to play another season and is good enough to make the Jets competitive. But if that happens, the new coach is starting over a year from now at quarterback. There’s some good young talent on the team, especially on defense, so it’s not a lost cause.
It’s also the New York market, so there won’t be much patience.
6. Saints
Sure, living in New Orleans would be fun. Trying to figure out how to turn around the franchise would not.
The Saints again find themselves in cap hell, and that’s before they figure out what to do with their mediocre quarterback, former Raider Derek Carr.
Carr, when healthy, typically puts teams in the no-man’s land on either side of .500. Not bad enough to pick high in the draft and not good enough to make the playoffs.
The NFC South isn’t daunting, so that’s a positive. Otherwise, good luck.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
