The move to Sin City has not solved the Raiders' coaching woes, as Mark Davis and new co-owner Tom Brady fired Antonio Pierce after one full season at the helm. Pierce, who clashed with star receiver Davante Adams and called out his locker room early and often in a 4-13 campaign, never regained the momentum he had as the interim coach in the 2023-2024 season.
To shake things up even further, the Raiders also parted ways with GM Tom Telesco days after the Pierce firing, signaling this might just be Brady's coaching search to run.
Now, Davis and Brady will jump into the coaching carousel, where big names like Deion Sanders and Pete Carroll still loom large, while others like Mike Vrabel (Patriots) and Ben Johnson (Bears) have already been hired.
Could a new coach lead the Silver and Black to glory in time for California sports betting? Time well tell. For now, here's who we like to coach the Raiders next season.
Coach | Current Team | Odds | Percent Chance |
Pete Carroll | Former Seahawks HC | +200 | 33.3% |
Todd Monken | Baltimore Ravens OC | +700 | 12.5% |
Brian Flores | Minnesota Vikings DC | +700 | 12.5% |
Steve Spagnuolo | Kansas City Chiefs DC | +1000 | 9.1% |
Vance Joseph | Denver Broncos DC | +1000 | 9.1% |
Ron Rivera | Former Commanders HC | +1500 | 6.3% |
Mike McCarthy | Former Cowboys HC | +1500 | 6.3% |
The Field | - | +900 | 10.0% |
Disclaimer: These odds are for information purposes only and are not available through licensed sportsbooks in surrounding states. Sports betting is not yet legal in California, but our site is monitoring what happens in neighboring states and will let you know when sportsbooks like DraftKings and BetMGM become available.
At 73 years young, we still think the Super Bowl-winning coach has more ball in him. Carroll likely locked up a future spot in Canton with his 14-year-run in Seattle, where he went 137-89-1 and of course was two yards away from delivering back-to-back titles (that should come up if the longtime coach interviews with Brady!) Carroll was coming off consecutive winning seasons in Seattle before becoming a senior advisor this past season, but he wants back on the sidelines. And a franchise like the Raiders could use a sure thing. With Ben Johnson and Mike Vrabel off the board, a turn to Carroll makes sense for Las Vegas.
One more candidate with serious Brady connections. Flores cut his teeth in New England as a longtime defensive assistant before a somewhat successful stint as a head coach in Miami (two out of three winning seasons, but no playoff wins). Now after a humbling firing (and a pending lawsuit against the NFL), he lead arguably the league's best defense with the Minnesota Vikings and seems to have matured from his Dolphins days. Say what you will about the Raiders, they are among the league's leaders in hiring diverse candidates, and don't think Flores' lawsuit will stop Davis and Brady if they feel he's the man to turn the organization around. But he'd be wise not to try to bring in his former Patriot colleague Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator...
An intriguing candidate who could turn out to be a Bruce Arians-type late bloomer. Monken, 58, hasn't been a head coach since 2015 at Southern Miss, but has turned heads with his play-calling at Georgia under Kirby Smart and with Lamar Jackson in Baltimore. A creative offensive mind may be just what the Raiders need in a division where they need to keep pace with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and the Sean Payton-led Broncos.
The man everyone wanted this offseason with Bill Belichick off to Chapel Hill. Vrabel was said to be a serious target of Robert Kraft and the Patriots immediately after the failed Jerod Mayo season. He interviewed with the Jets and Chicago Bears, though Kraft ended up moving quickly and hired Vrabel over NFL Wildcard Weekend.
Like Kraft, Vrabel has a relationship with Brady that could have made a bidding war feasible. Vrabel's teams in Tennessee were built on toughness and running the football, and he reached the AFC Championship back in 2019 with Ryan Tannehill as his quarterback. He spent this past season as an advisor with the Browns, but don't hold that against him.
Then there's Coach Prime. A Pro Football Hall of Famer who has led a successful turnaround at Colorado, and just so happens to be the father of one of the top quarterbacks in this April's NFL Draft. The Raiders need a coach, a QB, and a culture. Sanders would bring all three. While he's not on our board currently, don't count out Coach Prime to Vegas just yet.
Others to consider: Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo (+1000), Broncos DC Vance Joseph (+1000) and former head coaches Ron Rivera and Mike McCarthy (both +1500).
The elephant in the room. Would Bill Belichick have been a candidate for the Raiders if he hadn't jumped on the Chapel Hill job last month? Brady and Belichick are easily the most successful coach-QB duo in NFL history, and seemed to have put whatever awkwardness of their split behind them in recent years through roasts, podcasts and various other media appearances.
In fact, NFL Network on Jan. 8 reported Brady did in fact make contact with his former coach about the opportunity - but The Hoodie is content in Chapel Hill for now. What could have been...
USA Today photo by Ron Chenoy.
Author
Thomas Leary is a news editor and writer for BetCalifornia.com. He previously worked at Sports Business Journal for over 6 years, where he helped identify emerging sectors across sports business, such as legalized gambling, and helped launch the publication’s digital newsletter division.
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