The Raiders coaching job wasn’t supposed to be open going into 2022 but here we are. Jon Gruden was fired after just five games this season. Las Vegas should be the most sought-after job this offseason because of the team they have already. The Raiders are a playoff team under the right coach and have a franchise guy in Derek Carr. Here are my top candidates for the job:
5. Love Smith, Texans defensive coordinator. Smith spent some time as the head coach of the Illinois football program before landing the Houston job. The Texans defense isn’t great but has shown promise under Smith. He was also wrongfully fired as the Bears head coach before heading back to college. With the weapons the Raiders have Smith could lead this team to the promised land.
4. Matt Nagy, current head coach of the Bears. Assuming he gets fired at seasons end and doesn’t get pulled into a collegiate job, Nagy would be a good fit in Vegas. Bears fans would argue otherwise but they tend to forget that he has made the playoffs 2 of his 4 years and has only had one losing season. Oh, and he won coach of the year in 2018 wit Mitch Trubisky as his QB. Imagine what he can do with a guy like Carr.
3. Dennis Allen, Saints defensive coordinator. The Raiders love to recycle coaches but this one could be different. Allen has become one of the marquee defensive coordinators in the league with New Orleans and currently rank 3rd in overall defense. He could unlock Crosby’s and Ferrell’s full potential and help the Raiders get back to their glory days.
2. Rich Bisaccia, current interim head coach. Rich has held this team together since the Gruden firing but is he just a glue guy, can he get this team over the top? He is only this high because I believe in continuity.
1. Jim Caldwell, former Lions head coach. Caldwell deserves a chance to be a head coach again. In yesterday’s post I said he would be a good candidate for the Jaguars head coaching position, but he would be a excellent candidate for this position. I fully believe the Raiders would instantly become contenders under Caldwell and Carr would be perennially in the MVP conversation.
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