The Las Vegas Raiders are looking for their head coach, and after they weren't able to land Ben Johnson, the Raiders will now likely look toward Pete Carroll, the former Super Bowl-winning head coach for the Seattle Seahawks, or maybe even Todd Monken, the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens.
Either way, things are now way more unknown than we thought they were, and it leaves the Raiders in a weird place. And, to make things a little more weird, one of the Raiders coordinators from last season is one step closer to becoming a head coach.
Patrick Graham may not get the head coaching job, but he could be well on his way after some recent news.
Raiders' Patrick Graham to get second interview
Graham has established himself as a notable figure in the NFL, moving from being a defensive lineman at Yale to becoming a well-respected defensive coordinator. His coaching career kicked off in 2009 with the New England Patriots, where he worked in various capacities such as coaching assistant, defensive assistant, and linebackers coach. Over seven seasons, he contributed to teams that clinched numerous division titles, two AFC championships, and a Super Bowl victory in XLIX.
Graham's career saw him coaching for multiple teams. From 2016 to 2017, he was the defensive line coach for the New York Giants. In 2018, he moved to the Green Bay Packers, serving as the inside linebackers coach and run game coordinator. His debut as a defensive coordinator was with the Miami Dolphins in 2019, working alongside Brian Flores. He then returned to the Giants in 2020, not only as the defensive coordinator but also as assistant head coach, leading a defense that ranked among the league's top for points allowed.
Since 2022, Graham has been the defensive coordinator for the Raiders, where he has put together two great years of great defenses, and one bad year in 2022. With experience in both 4-3 and 3-4 defensive systems, he has the ability to adapt his scheme to whatever the team needs most, which is also a trait that makes him worthy of a head coaching job.
We all saw him work with the Raiders, and he's as good as it gets on the defensive side of the ball. He now has a second interview lined up for the Jacksonville Jaguars and their head coach vacancy. If he didn't have a shot at the job, he wouldn't have gotten a second interview.
