Report: Cost Won’t Keep Raiders from Ben Johnson

The Raiders seem to be moving in a good direction with Ben Johnson as their presumed top candidate to replace Antonio Pierce, and while nothing is imminent with Johnson, the latest news on the situation is that Mark Davis is willing to spend what it takes to get the coaching candidate he wants in this hiring cycle.

Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter said it has been rumored that Johnson could cost as much as $90 million on a six-year deal, and while he didn’t say the Raiders would pay that much, he said the Raiders aren’t going to let money get in the way of hiring the coach they want.

“There are a lot of talk about the cost of Ben Johnson. I have seen people saying it would probably take six years, $60 million fully guaranteed. And I’ve had people quietly tell me that for someone to get Ben Johnson, it may be six years at $90 million, $15 million a year guaranteed,” Carpenter said on Sunday on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.

“I talked with someone directly inside the Raiders organization,” Hondo continued, “and I said to them, if Ben Johnson is the guy, there’s been a lot of numbers thrown out there. Do you think he would be too expensive for the Raiders? The exact answer I was given was, ‘If Ben Johnson isn’t the coach of the Raiders, the reason will have nothing to do with money.'”

Based on everything that has been reported to this point, the Raiders appear to be the front runner to hire Johnson, but a Lions playoff run could slow down the process over the next few weeks.

Earlier on the podcast, Carpenter added to an NFL Network report that Johnson and Brady built a quick connection in the early stages of the interview process.

“I know Ian Rapoport has reported that the Raiders are enamored with Ben Johnson. I don’t know who he spoke to, but I can tell you that same word was used with me,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast. “I was also told it was enamoring for Ben Johnson, that him and Tom Brady have really hit it off in a big way.”

“I was told by an NFL executive who is very knowledgeable of the process, “Hondo continued, “the same one who told me they did not think the Raiders were going to get [Mike] Vrabel, they would be surprised if anyone other than Ben, they think that Ben will clearly emerge as the lead candidate, that Tom Brady was extremely impressed with him, and that he was extremely impressed with Tom Brady.”

There’s a lot that can still happen, and Washington Commanders fans would warn Raider fans not to book Johnson before it’s official.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the Commanders found out on social media last year that Johnson was staying with the Lions.

“Washington’s party of five then boarded for Detroit, and found out over the in-flight WiFi on X that Johnson had pulled out of their search,” Breer reported last year. “Minutes later, a text that the Lions OC sent at 12:45 p.m. to inform the team of his decision came through.”

If you’re trying to remember another time a situation played out like that with a coaching candidate, it was former Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels and that pulled one of the most dramatic coaching bailouts in NFL history.

In 2018, the Colts issued a statement, essentially saying McDaniels had left them at the altar.

“After agreeing to contract terms to become the Indianapolis Colts’ new head coach, New England Patriots assistant coach Josh McDaniels this evening informed us that he would not be joining our team,” the Colts said in a statement. “Although we are surprised and disappointed, we will resume our head coaching search immediately and find the right fit to lead our team and organization on and off the field.”

The Colts didn’t know it at the time, but McDaniels might have, in fact, been doing them a huge favor.