As the postseason gets underway in the NFL, the Las Vegas Raiders are once again sitting on the sidelines, as they finished with a 4-13 record. But in an unusual season with many bad teams, that 4-13 record is only good enough to land them the No. 6 overall pick in the NFL Draft, putting them in a unique position.
They are currently a team without a head coach and without a starter-level quarterback, but it doesn’t appear they’ll be able to get one through the draft, as No. 6 in a relatively weak QB class puts them out of reach of the top two, Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. But one way they could get Shedeur is if they move up, or if they took a look at Deion Sanders for their head coach opening.
Deion has made a name for himself as a great coach at the college level, rebuilding the University of Colorado program into a highly respected one. And he may have interest in taking the Raiders job, according to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review Journal:
“He has a very strong interest in the job,” the person said.
The person indicated that NFL-connected associates of Sanders reached out to the Raiders to express Sanders’ interest in the opening.
The Raiders hiring Sanders would certainly be a splashy move, as it would be a meteoric rise for the Hall of Fame player. But all reports suggest that the interest is one-sided and that the Raiders, and new minority owner Tom Brady, are not going to go that direction with their new head coach.
The Raiders, with interviewing options like Kansas City Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo, are showing to be interested in more NFL-level candidates as opposed to college. Jim Harbaugh had rare success making that leap in Year 1, leading the Los Angeles Chargers to the playoffs. But that is not the norm for that transition.
Maxx Crosby reacts to Raiders firing Antonio Pierce
It feels like this has been said every year recently, but this offseason will be a crucial one for the Raiders. The team has fired another coach, choosing to part ways with Antonio Pierce, and as the franchise looks to get back to its winning ways, the future of its best player and leader, Maxx Crosby, will come into question once again.
Crosby has been open about his desire to win now with the Raiders. He loves this franchise and wants to remain here, but not if the team continues to lose, as it has throughout most of his career. And now, with Pierce out, Crosby is looking at yet another coach next season.
Crosby had a great relationship with Pierce, who clearly had not lost the locker room, and on his podcast, The Rush, Crosby reacted to his firing while also speaking on his future with the Raiders.
