A hard-to-believe new report revealed a surprising name in the alleged “three-person brain trust” that will choose the Las Vegas Raiders next head coach.
Despite a terrible start last year, Antonio Pierce gave Raider Nation reason to be hopeful about being their full-time head coach in 2024. And it is understandable why. Since he guided them to an 8-9 finish and a big road win over rivals the Kansas City Chiefs late in the season.
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However, it didn’t take long for fans to realize that their strong second half was a flash in the pan and this year’s team was not much different from the disappointing group fans saw early in 2023. There was no recovery and salvaged season in 2024, and Las Vegas ended the season with a sad 4-13 record. It is why Pierce is now among the unenviable group of one-and-done NFL coaches after being fired last week.
Now the Raiders will undergo a head coach search for a second straight year. And they will do it again without a general manager after firing Tom Telesco this past week. In recent days, several names have been linked to the team as candidates. Including former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and Colorado Buffaloes program leader Deion Sanders.
Obviously, majority owner Mark Davis will have a lot of say in the final decision. And multiple reports have claimed new minority owner Tom Brady will also have a great deal of influence. However, over the weekend, Sports Illustrated Raiders reporter Hondo Carpenter revealed a surprising third voice who will have a lot of say on who is their next head coach.
- Las Vegas Raiders record: 4-13
Richard Seymour will have a major say in the next Las Vegas Raiders head coach?
“I believe in the building, nobody has a clue of what’s happening next,” Carpenter said on the “Las Vegas Raiders Insider” podcast [h/t Raiders Beat]. “It’s a three-person brain trust. I think some of the other owners obviously have an opinion. But I think it’s Davis and Brady and [Richard] Seymour. And that’s it.
“I don’t think anybody else knows or has a clue. And I think that they already had their eye on probably who they want as a general manager, but they’re going to go out, do a ton of interviews, A, because they have to, and B because I think they want to talk to some of the best minds.”
- Las Vegas Raiders head coach candidates: Pete Carroll, Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn, Steve Spagnuolo, Todd Monken, Robert Saleh
After getting some resistance from other owners to his early ownership stake, Brady split his share with former New England Patriots teammate Seymour. Brady does not have any executive and team management experience. So it is already a little surprising he will have so much say.
The same can be said for Seymour. Having two first-time executives making the final say on the Raiders’ next head coach is head-scratching new if true. But then again, this is Las Vegas and they never do things the traditional way.
