Las Vegas

Raiders

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini notes that Spags also has an interview request from the Raiders. The legendary defensive mind has been in the NFL in some capacity for over a quarter-century with most of his time coming as a defensive coordinator. Spagnuolo’s first stint as a head coach started all the way back in 2009 with the then-St. Louis Rams. He went a disastrous 10-38 and was fired after three sees. Spagnuolo has since rehabbed his image with the Giants and most recently the Chiefs. Spagnuolo has been in Kansas City for six years, winning three Super Bowls in the process. He also has a fourth ring from his time in New York. Though his St. Louis sint looms large, Spags is over a decade removed from that failure and has undoubtedly learned plenty from Andy Reid and others. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him get another shot at being a head coach in 2025.

Brady, per Pelissero, wanted to know “what it would take” to lure Belichick away from the University of North Carolina job he took a few weeks ago. Belichick’s deal with the university is over five years, though Belichick reportedly has easy outs in the deal. The Raiders this week fired head coach Antonio Pierce after one disastrous season at the helm. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Belichick could be on the Raiders sideline in 2025.

With minority owner Tom Brady reportedly having more influence in this process, it would have been stunning if Vrabel wasn’t on the Raiders radar. Coen caught eyes around the league for his innovative screen designs as the Buccaneers finished well above offensive expectations in his first year as offensive coordinator. Carroll has not, as far as we know, taken an interview yet but obviously has a very distinguished history as an NFL head coach. The hardest thing for the Raiders may be selling potential candidates on the current state of their roster.

Well, Brock Bowers certainly doesn’t hurt the cause. Drafting good players in the first round has never been Telesco’s problem, though, it’s the rest of the NFL roster assembly sausage. The Raiders came into this year without a real plan at quarterback and were often relying on practice-squad receivers and running backs. Telesco didn’t inherit a great situation, but he also didn’t do much beyond adding Bowers to it in year one. We’re a little surprised he has seemingly escaped without deeper scrutiny.

It turns out that not being told anything different yesterday didn’t actually mean much. Pierce, who went 5-4 as an interim coach last year, went 4-13 in 2024 with a roster that had almost no offensive upside. The little it did have walked out the door midseason when the team parted with Davante Adams in a trade to the Jets. Pierce was often bafflingly conservative as a game manager, giving Daniel Carlson 40 field-goal opportunities, and spoke after the season about not trusting his gut when it came to starting Aidan O’Connell over Gardner Minshew. The Raiders got a little scrappier after installing Scott Turner at offensive coordinator after the bye, but ultimately neither side of the ball played above their meager talent levels. It’s not Pierce’s fault the Raiders weren’t a winner, the seeds of that were sewn several years ago. But he clearly wasn’t elevating them either. Pierce’s future is an open question at this point as the NCAA has banned him from coaching through the year 2032 as part of a show-cause penalty against Arizona State. He may resurface as a defensive coordinator or, more likely, a linebackers coach on an NFL staff.

Graham is also interviewing for the Bengals defensive coordinator role that was left vacant by firing Lou Anarumo. The fact that Graham is getting interviews and even considering a horizontal move says a lot about the current job status situation in Las Vegas. Graham interviewed with the Chargers and Seahawks for their head coaching vacancies last year and has been a fixture on the coaching carousel in the 2020s.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Pierce laid out his plans for the Raiders’ future after his team put the finishing touches on a 4-13 season with a 34-20 loss to the Chargers in Week 18. Pierce hasn’t heard anything regarding his future, but we wouldn’t be so quick to assume the team will retain him in 2025. That said, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Sunday that Pierce’s job could be safe, as he and owner Mark Davis have had “regular conversations” about the team’s future. The Raiders are in desperate need of a franchise quarterback, something they never attempted to acquire in Pierce’s first full season with the team. After dismissing three coaches since 2021, it’s possible Davis opts to stay patient with Pierce and give him a chance to construct a legitimate offense this offseason.

O’Connell’s tumultuous year comes to an end on a high note with 713 yards, three touchdowns, and just one interception in his final three starts, two of which were wins. Gardner Minshew initially won the starting job and the Raiders were reluctant to bench him despite his poor play. They eventually pulled the trigger in Week 6, marking AOC’s first start. He lasted less than two games before suffering a broken bone in his right thumb, sidelining him for four weeks. O’Connell returned to the starting role once again, only to suffer another injury, this time a bone bruise in his knee. He returned once again for a few starts late in the year. O’Connell was roughly as good as Minshew and definitively better than Desmond Ridder, solidifying his status as a viable backup. The Raiders are all but certain to draft a quarterback, but O’Connell has done enough through two seasons to stick with the team as a reserve or possibly a bridge option in 2025.

Mattison joined the Raiders on a one-year contract this offseason after struggling mightily as the Vikings starter in their first season post-Dalvin Cook. He opened 2024 as Zamir White’s backup but quickly worked his way into a committee and eventually took over as the starter. Mattison topped 15 touches five times and hit 60 yards from scrimmage on six occasions. On the other hand, he went over 70 total yards just once. Like White before him, Mattison was out-played by his backup down the stretch and lost work to Ameer Abdullah in the final month of the season. Abdullah had fully supplanted him as the top option before a foot injury ended his season a week early. An impending free agent, Mattison’s days as a starting running back are at an end. He will look for a backup job on the open market in the spring.

Mayer was fated for a quiet season after the Raiders drafted generational tight end Brock Bowers prospect in the first round. Things went from bad to worse when he was placed on the reserve/NFI list early in the year for personal reasons. Mayer missed six games and returned to a backup role later in the season. He strangely erupted for seven catches and 68 yards in Week 14 but did little aside from that game. It was his only contest with more than two catches or 14 yards until Week 18. The Raiders could view Mayer as a strong backup option to Mayer, but the former second-round would still fetch a solid return in a trade. His name will undoubtedly come up in trade talks, giving dynasty managers something to cling to heading into 2025.