Raiders Landing the Top HC Candidate ‘Picking up Way More Steam’: Insider

Following the firing of head coach Antonio Pierce, the Las Vegas Raiders didn’t appear to have the most appealing job opening. However, things are quickly changing.

The team also fired general manager Tom Telesco and will allow a top head coaching candidate to have some kind of say over who the next general manager will be. Heading into the offseason, nobody thought Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson would even take an interview with the Raiders.

It came as a big surprise when it was revealed that he had accepted an interview request. Johnson has said he wouldn’t take interviews just to take them going forward so it’s notable he met with Las Vegas. While it still could be a longshot, the Raiders may actually be gaining some momentum, according to Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager.

“Ben Johnson / Raiders actually picking up way more steam in league circles over last 48 hours,” Schrager wrote in a Jan. 11 X post.

Johnson had not interviewed with the Raiders for any of their previous head coaching searches so it’s difficult to know how he’s felt about the team in the past. Regardless, Las Vegas is at least in the mix to land the highly sought-after coach.

Why Raiders Could Appeal to Ben Johnson

Johnson gaining steam as a realistic option for the Raiders has a lot to do with Tom Brady. Had the legendary quarterback not been a part owner of the team, he may not have even accepted an interview request. Even with the Brady factor, it still felt like he was just taking the interview as a sign of respect for the future Hall of Famer.

However, the Raiders could actually make more sense for Johnson than many realize. Though the team doesn’t have an answer at quarterback right now, the three teams that do have head coaching openings right now are the New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears.

The Patriots seemed destined to hire Mike Vrabel so they’re likely out of the running. The Bears should be appealing due to their offensive weapons but Caleb Williams was very uneven in his rookie year and Johnson could have concerns about that. The Jaguars have Trevor Lawrence but he played very poorly this season and is on a massive contract.

With the Raiders, Johnson gets a chance to truly build up the team how he wants it. He gets to pick the quarterback, he gets to work with a general manager he’s comfortable with and he’ll have plenty of cap space to work with.

Finding a quarterback isn’t easy but Johnson can take the 2025 season as a way to build up the offense and then go all in on a quarterback in 2026. That has to be appealing to a coach who is confident in his ability to coach up the position.

Landing Johnson Won’t Be Easy

There are going to be other teams that want Johnson but none of those teams have Brady in their front office. He could end up being the deciding factor.

The Bears have very poor ownership and the Jaguars can’t feel confident that Lawrence is the right quarterback going forward. However, if Johnson feels like he can turn Lawrence or Williams into top-five quarterbacks, the Raiders have no chance. Whether or not Las Vegas could land him may hinge on how he feels about those quarterbacks.