It was reported on Monday that the Raiders requested permission to interview Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, and that makes seven official candidates for the head coaching vacancy in Las Vegas.
Joseph is the second defensive coordinator within the AFC West (Steve Spagnuolo) the Raiders have requested to interview, but it’s starting to feel like there are two clear front runners for the job.
Everyone has been talking about the impression Ben Johnson made on Tom Brady and company in his Friday interview and there doesn’t seem to be a single NFL media type who doesn’t think Johnson is the favorite to get the job.
But as the Washington Commanders learned a year ago, it can be difficult to predict what Johnson is going to do, and if he doesn’t end up with the Raiders, the backup option in Las Vegas appears to be a veteran coach with a Super Bowl on his resume.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vinny Bonsignore, there are “a lot of things lining up” for Johnson and the Raiders, but if Johnson doesn’t take the job, Pete Carroll will likely be the team’s no. 2 option.
If Ben doesn’t want it I believe Pete gets it. https://t.co/q1YEiWyAWf
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) January 14, 2025
Going into the hiring process, there are some who believed Carroll was the favorite to get the Raiders’ job.
Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter mentioned a candidate the team wanted to hear from before parting ways with Antonio Pierce, and it’s fair to wonder if that candidate might have been Carroll.
There haven’t been any reports to how Carroll’s interview in Las Vegas went on Monday, but there shouldn’t be a lot the veteran head coach should have to prove.
The only knock on Carroll is the fact that he’s 73 years-old, but if we’re keeping it real, he looks a lot healthier than some of his much younger colleagues in the league.
On a side note, the aforementioned Bonsignore won the 2024 Nevada Sportswriter of the Year award this week. That’s a high honor, and congratulations to him on that achievement.
