The Bears and Jaguars have superior quarterback situations to the Raiders, who have a major question to answer entering the offseason, and Ben Johnson has been one of the choosiest coordinators in recent memory. As Chicago and Jacksonville remain in the mix for Johnson, buzz persists about Detroit’s OC giving strong consideration to the Raiders.
Tom Brady‘s presence has driven this, with Mark Davis giving the quarterback-turned-announcer/part-owner a significant say — perhaps the lead voice — as the team searches again for a new head coach and general manager. Brady has had his eye on Johnson for a while, beginning an effort to bring him to Las Vegas when covering the Lions in Week 9.
The more aggressive stage of this recruitment began last Thursday, the same day the Raiders fired Tom Telesco, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes. While not confirming Johnson called for the Raiders to fire their GM, Florio lends more in the direction of Johnson wanting “alignment” as he determines a potential landing spot. The reporting coming out of the Telesco firing had Brady playing the lead role, determining Telesco needed to go to bring in the team’s next HC and GM on the same timeline.
It is unlikely Johnson’s desire for alignment and Brady’s determination the Raiders needed to start fresh is a coincidence, and Florio adds the Raiders may have already dangled a “massive” offer to the three-year Lions play-caller. The Raiders have not yet met Johnson face-to-face, with only virtual interviews allowed with candidates tied to other teams until Jan. 20. The team cannot meet with Johnson until the Lions are eliminated (or the Super Bowl bye week, if Detroit books its first Super Bowl berth), but Brady is still with FOX and is set to call the Commanders-Lions divisional-round game Saturday night. This conflict of interest could benefit the Raiders, as the analyst certainly could make a point to speak with the high-profile coordinator.
Davis is not among the league’s wealthiest owners, but he did authorize a 10-year, $100MM Jon Gruden contract in 2018. Johnson was also linked to a $15MM-per-year salary ask during the 2024 offseason. Coaching salaries are not public, but Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton are believed to be earning between $15-$20MM and are classified as top-five-salaried HCs (or in that ballpark). The Raiders’ QB situation and their struggles finding a coach during Davis’ ownership tenure may required a monster offer near this neighborhood, even if Johnson has not proven a successful head coach yet like Payton and Harbaugh have.
The Raiders cannot match the Jaguars or Bears’ QB setups just yet, and Davis has Brady set to play perhaps the lead role — especially now that Telesco’s gone — in fixing the roster’s biggest problem. Las Vegas hold the No. 6 overall pick. The team also faces Harbaugh, Payton and the two-time reigning champion Chiefs twice a year; it went 0-6 in those games this season. For Johnson to turn down the Commanders and give this much consideration to the Raiders certainly would appear to show Brady’s impact on this process. Other candidates remain in play for the Raiders, but everything to this point suggests Johnson is the clear favorite.
You kind of have to offer Ben Johnson a massive deal because you really cannot offer him anything else.
Roster: Mediocre
QB: Nonexistent
Weather: HOT to HOTTER (in a dome but Living in Vegas is part of the consideration process.)
Division: Arguably toughest in NFL (KC, DEN, & LAC all made playoffs)
$18 million a year to come to LV would be my asking price. 5 years $90 million fully guaranteed. It sounds outrageous but so does asking Ben to go to LV. Make him the highest paid or at least a the top of highest paid coaches in the NFL.
Just my thoughts.
Oh, if they really wanted to go big I would say get Ben Johnson, grab Sam Darnold, pay Tee Higgins, draft a RB in the 1st or 2nd round. Build the o-line through the draft and free-agency and give Las Vegas one hell of a show.
Thanks for reading.
The weather sounds perfect for me, but I can’t argue anything you said on the football side as to the present state of the team.
That said, I wouldn’t spend money on Darnold. If Johnson goes there, I can’t imagine they will. With some patience, they can do better. If Sanders falls to the Raiders the way it looks he could, that’s the path, imo. If not, they should go McMillan. They could address RB later on with a solid player like Skattebo.
After being so picky up til now, he can’t be dumb enough to join that mess, can he? Brady doesn’t really translate to anything at this point beyond whispering sweet nothings in his ear.
No state income taxes in Nevada either.
JAX, DAL, TEN also no state income tax, and offering great weather as well.
Dallas has Jerry, so there is nearly 0 percent chance Johnson would go there. Jerry wants a puppet, not a coach.
I’m not convinced the ownership is any better in Tennessee than Las Vegas, and they ran Vrabel off.
Jacksonville? Maybe I could see it, too, I don’t know.
A smart OC goes where there is a QB that gives him a chance to succeed. That rules out TENN real quick.
Granted you did end this title with a “?” and it might end up being true but that headline is seems so click-baity and fabricated. I don’t think they have met any part of the Rooney-rule yet (unless Saleh’s interview is in-person today.)
Do you really think that matters? A slap on the wrist at best. Brady is a golden child. They would never set an example with him.
If the Lions don’t win this year. He and Glenn won’t leave
Wanna bet?
Loyalty only goes so far. Take your opportunity when presented. Especially when it involves generational wealth.
If Mark Davis guarantees BJ $18M a year for 3 years, he’ll be gone!
If the Raiders are offering Johnson in the area of 15 million, you can remove the Bears from the conversation. The Bears like to pay their coaches as little cash as possible. It’s evident that they’ll remain in this mode and we’ll once again see the 2025 Bears being under coached against almost every team in the league.
Money is not an issue with Jacksonville; however, I can easily see Baalke being an issue with his reputation.
Unless it’s utter greed, I just don’t see any appeal with being a new head coach in Las Vegas.