On Monday evening, a report in The Athletic identified Pete Carroll and John Spytek as the favorites to be hired by the Raiders for their respective positions.
On Wednesday, the Raiders hired Spytek as their GM, but it’s been mostly quiet on the team’s search for a head coach since Ben Johnson took the Chicago Bears job on Monday.
Carroll still seems to be getting the most attention for the HC job, but Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer says there’s another name to keep an eye on as the process continues to play out.
“I think Tom Brady’s personal relationships are a factor here,” Breer said on the Rich Eisen Show. “One thing that I did hear was not to rule out was not to rule out Pete Carroll or Steve Spagnuolo because Brady has respect for them having gone up against them.”
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was on NFL Network on Wednesday evening and he was asked what a team would get from Spagnuolo as a head coach if he is hired.
“They’ll get a great football coach, a great person. I think that’s probably the most important thing,” Reid answered. “He understands the game, he understands the players. He deserves another shot. I’m one of his biggest fans.”
For what it’s worth, Spytek and Spagnuolo were with the same team for two years, but it’s been a while since they worked in the same building.
Spytek was an intern and college scouting assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2005 and 2006. Spagnuolo was with the Eagles at the time as a linebackers coach.
Spagnuolo has been getting head coaching interviews every hiring cycle, but has been passed on every year.
After coming up short on Johnson this week, the Raiders will have to go down the list for their next head coach. There isn’t necessarily another home run hire (perceived, at least) among the remaining candidates, and if the Raiders aren’t overwhelmingly sold on anyone, they should strongly consider Spagnuolo.
The AFC West still goes through Kansas City and if nothing else, hiring Spagnuolo would weaken the Chiefs. He also knows the AFC West, and his familiarity with the Raiders would be an asset as pivotal roster decisions are coming on the defensive side of the ball in the months ahead.
As for Carroll, he feels like the ‘safest’ hire for the Raiders at this point. He knows how to build a locker room and is more than capable of creating the culture the organization is looking for.
From 2001 to 2023, Carroll only had two jobs. He was the head coach at USC from 2001 to 2009 and head coach of the Seattle Seahawks from 2010 to 2023.
It would be interesting to know the offensive coordinators Carroll and Spagnuolo have in mind to bring to Las Vegas considering neither have an offensive background.
