Las Vegas Raiders News & Rumors

Raiders To Interview Lance Newmark For GM Position

The Raiders will interview Commanders assistant general manager Lance Newmark for their GM post today, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It was reported just a few days ago that Newmark had a “leg up” on the competition for the Las Vegas job even though the club had not yet formally requested an interview as of the date of that report.

The timing of the interview could be telling. Newmark spent 26 years as a Lions scout/executive before leaving for Washington last year, and as Schefter notes, he has a strong relationship with Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn (both of whom have already interviewed virtually with the Raiders). Since the Lions lost to the Commanders in last night’s divisional round bout, both Johnson and Glenn are free to have sit-down interviews with any team, a development that could set off a chain reaction of coaching hires around the league.

The Bears and Jaguars reportedly remain in the Johnson sweepstakes, though there have been increased rumblings connecting the coveted OC to the Raiders. Schefter’s ESPN colleague, Jeremy Fowler, reiterates that the prospect of a Newmark-Johnson tandem in Las Vegas has been gaining traction in league circles. That is particularly true since Johnson has made plain his desire for “alignment” with whatever GM he works with, a desire that may have made Tom Telesco a one-and-done GM with the Raiders.

Newmark has already met with the Jets about their vacant GM post – he interviewed for the same position back in 2019 before Gang Green hired Joe Douglas – and while he lost out on the Lions’ most recent GM search to Brad Holmes, he remained in Detroit as the team’s senior director of player personnel before being poached by the new Washington regime. The success that the Lions have had over the past several seasons and the success that the Commanders have enjoyed this year have obviously boosted Newmark’s credentials.

Courtesy of our GM search tracker, here is the current status of the Raiders’ pursuits:

Raiders May Be Homing In On QB Shedeur Sanders

The Raiders did themselves a bit of a disservice by winning a couple of games down the stretch of the regular season and ruining their opportunity to own the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft as a result. Despite the theoretical misstep, Las Vegas may still be in a good position to land their preferred option in April.

As the influence of minority-owner Tom Brady continues to permeate throughout the Raiders organization, there seems to be an indication that Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders could be the object of focus for the team’s scouting department leading into the draft. According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, Brady has “a great amount of respect for Sanders’ focus on preparation, his ability to learn and adapt, his accuracy and determination in the pocket, and his toughness to take hits and still be resilient.”

We continue to see reports from scouts that the top two passers in this year’s draft class, Miami’s Cam Ward and Sanders, wouldn’t have surpassed the top three passers in 2024 (Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye). According to Connor Hughes of SportsNet New York, some have even claimed that J.J. McCarthy would be the QB1 in this class, which is hard to believe when comparing the statistics of the three. Apparently, McCarthy’s winning of a championship with Michigan is valued highly enough to overcome a severe difference in production.

Despite these claims and despite Sanders seemingly being ranked as QB2 behind Ward at the moment, the desperate need for quarterbacks in the NFL still makes it seem like Sanders may not make it to the Raiders at No. 6 overall. Three of the five teams in the first five picks of the draft (Titans, Browns, Giants) have also been connected to passers with quarterback being identified as a position of need. Still, there’s reportedly belief in draft circles that, as the evaluation process continues, Sanders has a chance to slip out of the top five picks.

Should that be the case, it would play perfectly into the hands of Las Vegas. There’s some hope that whoever is hired as general manager, as well as head coach, would be permitted some input on the decision of who is selected in the first round. If Brady and majority-owner Mark Davis have their way, though, the Colorado-product may be headed to the Raiders.

Raiders To Conduct Second GM Interviews With Brandon Brown, Chad Alexander

A pair of finalists have emerged for the Raiders’ general manager position. More in-person interviews could be coming soon, but for now two are on tap.

Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown has a second interview lined up with the Raiders, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports. His second meeting with the team will take place Monday. On that same day, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds Chargers AGM Chad Alexander will conduct a second interview with Vegas’ search committee.

Earlier this week, it was learned both staffers had received an interview request from the Raiders. Brown and Alexander each took part in a virtual interview, and their success in that capacity has kept them in contention to land the position. Neither have been an NFL general manager before, but Brown is no stranger to interest in that regard while Alexander is a veteran of several front offices.

Brown’s NFL tenure began in 2012 with the Jets, but much of his tenure in the league came with the Eagles. He held the title of director of pro scouting as well as pro personnel director before making the intra-divisional move to the Giants. New York will keep GM Joe Schoen for at least one more year, but if he were to be replaced Brown would represent a feasible in-house option to take over. Depending on how his in-person interview goes, though, Brown could elect to make his general manager debut in Vegas.

Alexander spent 20 seasons with the Ravens in several capacities. He has served with familiar faces since departing Baltimore, having worked under Joe Douglas with the Jets and, for 2024, Joe Hortiz with the Chargers. Alexander will look to join Douglas and Hortiz as staffers who parlayed their time in Baltimore into GM gigs elsewhere.

Recent days have seen Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson heavily linked to the Raiders’ head coaching position, a potential hire which would come as something of a surprise given the team’s quarterback situation. Drafting a passer would be a logical step this offseason, with Shedeur Sanders being a name to watch closely on that front. In any case, finding a long-term answer under center will be a central priority for Vegas once a general manager hire is made.

Via PFR’s GM search tracker, here is an updated look at the Raiders’ situation:

  • Chad Alexander, assistant general manager (Chargers): Interviewed; to conduct second interview 1/20
  • Brandon Brown, assistant general manager (Giants): Interviewed; to conduct second interview 1/20
  • Lance Newmark, assistant general manager (Commanders): Potential frontrunner?
  • John Spytek, assistant general manager (Buccaneers): To interview
  • Jon-Eric Sullivan, director of player personnel (Packers): Interview requested
  • Sheldon White, director of pro scouting (Steelers): Interview requested

Raiders To Interview Ron Rivera For HC Job

Already meeting with the Bears and Jets during this HC interview cycle, Ron Rivera will conduct a meeting with another HC-needy franchise. The Raiders are meeting with the former Panthers and Commanders HC, SI.com’s Albert Breer reports. The interview will take place today.

Rivera spent this season out of football, marking his first away from the game since 1996, but is interested in continuing his career. While an assistant job could certainly also be a gateway for the experienced coach to jump back in, he is now involved in three teams’ HC searches.

The Raiders appear to have identified a clear frontrunner, in Lions OC Ben Johnson, but the coveted candidate is also still interested in the Jaguars’ position. Although Las Vegas may well be preparing a big offer to a rather picky candidate, Jacksonville has a setup that already includes a franchise-caliber quarterback — in Trevor Lawrence — and in a much weaker division compared to where the Raiders stand.

A weak division was responsible for Rivera’s only playoff berth in Washington, with a Dak Prescott season-ending injury clearing the road for a 7-9 team to book a playoff berth. While Rivera kept Washington’s operation afloat in 2021 and ’22, the Commanders bottomed out in 2023 by going 4-13 and losing their final eight games. Ownership appearing to overrule Rivera and Co. on a Montez Sweat trade did not help, and the Commanders made a curious decision — considering how hot Rivera’s seat was — to center their 2023 plan around Sam Howell.

Now 63, Rivera is certainly on the older end among this year’s HC candidates. The Raiders have, however, met with Pete Carroll, who is now 73. Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo, 65, also interviewed for this position. With Johnson also still on the Bears’ radar, backup plans may need to emerge for the teams that do not land the hotshot Detroit assistant. Rivera would be one, though third-chance HCs are not overly common in recent NFL history. Rivera did better work with the Panthers during a nine-season tenure, guiding the team to its second Super Bowl and booking three more playoff berths — one involving a 7-8-1 2014 squad — during his tenure.

It is certainly possible Mark Davis‘ quick-trigger firings involving Josh McDaniels and Antonio Pierce will impact this Raiders search, Tom Brady‘s involvement notwithstanding; no Silver and Black HC has lasted more than four seasons since Art Shell‘s first tenure. Rivera was still an NFL player during most of that stint, and at his age now, being the candidate to buck the modern Raiders trend with a long-term stay would be unlikely. It will still be interesting to see if Rivera can secure a third opportunity in Vegas, Chicago or New York.

Tom Brady Will Fulfill Broadcasting Contract

The 2024 season marks Year 1 of Tom Brady‘s broadcasting career. The Raiders minority owner has drawn attention over conflict of interest concerns, but no change to his situation is expected any time soon.

Brady’s agent Don Yee made it clear in an interview with Ben Fischer of the Sports Business Journal that his client plans to fulfill the remainder of his contract. Brady is attached to a 10-year, $375MM pact with FOX, but the fact his first year in the broadcast booth coincides with his first as an official member of the Raiders’ ownership group led to notable restrictions being placed on him. NFL owners raised issues on the conflict of interest front before approving his purchase of a 5% stake in the franchise, but since it became official no developments have taken place on that front.

“Tom has had a tremendous amount of fun working with FOX this year, and he’s really excited about the future with FOX and his growth on their team,” Yee said. “And this year was the first year of a long relationship.”

Brady’s next game in the booth will be this weekend’s Commanders-Lions contest. That matchup will provide him with the opportunity to speak with Lions coordinator Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, two of the top remaining head coaching candidates in this year’s hiring cycle and and members of the list of Raiders targets. Johnson in particular has emerged as a name to watch closely, with a mutual interest appearing to exist and a substantial offer believed to be on tap. Brady played a central role in the decisions to fire both Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco, moves which gave the Raiders the opportunity to once again reset as an organization.

While Brady carries on in his efforts on that front, he will continue his broadcasting responsibilities (which will include calling Super Bowl LIX). His actions will no doubt continue to be monitored by the league and its owners, although a source from one NFL team informed Mark Maske of the Washington Post no complaints have been made yet with respect to any unfair advantages being gained. The opportunity for that to change may arise down the road, but for the foreseeable future Brady is set to wear both hats.

As noted in a detailed piece on the matter from The Athletic (subscription required), Brady cannot serve a role in the Raiders’ front office aside from his current title of minority owner. Leaving his broadcasting career behind could not lead him to a different position formally leading football operations or another aspect of the organization since he is not directly related to controlling owner Mark Davis. As a result, no changes to Brady’s current setup should be considered likely.

Raiders Preparing Big Ben Johnson Offer?

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.

Ben Johnson ‘Seriously Considering’ Raiders; Latest On Tom Brady’s Impact

The NFL has placed significant restrictions on Tom Brady during his time as a broadcaster. Since the future Hall of Fame quarterback is now part-owner of the Raiders, he is prohibited from speaking attending practices, traveling to clubs’ facilities or doing onsite interview prep with coaches ahead of broadcast assignments.But a loophole may influence the Raiders’ coaching search.

Brady will be in Detroit for FOX’s divisional-round game (Commanders-Lions), and he would have a chance to both closely evaluate Ben Johnson (and Lions DC Aaron Glenn) and continue speaking with a coach who looks to be — at this juncture, at least — the Raiders’ early favorite.

Raiders-Johnson momentum is building, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore. Clearly residing as a frontrunner here, Johnson is “seriously considering” the Raiders, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur notes. In predicting fits, Yahoo.com’s Charles Robinson placed Johnson in Vegas.

While Mark Davis is technically atop the organization, it is widely believed Brady is running the team’s HC and GM pursuits. A report pointed to this search being “Tom’s show,” and Tafur offers more in that direction by adding that the minority owner was heavily involved in the decisions to fire Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco last week. Telesco was ultimately canned because the Raiders wanted to start fresh rather than pair a new coach with a holdover GM.

It is abnormal for a part-owner to have this much influence in searches of this magnitude, but Brady’s stature in the game makes him a special case. The 47-year-old exec’s presence is believed to have driven Johnson to add the Raiders to his interview list. The Lions’ OC has been picky about jobs since first joining a coaching carousel in 2023, and he famously backed out as the Commanders’ frontrunner last year. For Johnson to then be open to taking a Raiders job despite the lack of a quarterback presence and considering Davis’ lack of patience with coaches in recent years, it would certainly say a lot about Brady’s ability to recruit.

Las Vegas may be eyeing a Detroit-centric plan, with Tafur adding Commanders assistant GM Lance Newmark is believed to have an early leg up on the competition for the GM job. This would be an interesting development, as Newmark has not received an interview request just yet. Packers exec Jon-Eric Sullivan, Steelers staffer Sheldon White and ex-Brady Michigan teammate John Spytek — a Buccaneers assistant GM — are the interviewees thus far. Spytek held early momentum as a candidate to watch; Newmark making up ground would be interesting due to his history.

Although Newmark left for Washington in 2024, he spent more than 20 years as a Detroit exec. That obviously covers the time Johnson has spent with the franchise, and Tafur adds the Raiders view Newmark as a staffer who could pair well with the 38-year-old play-caller.

Brady began vetting Johnson when he did a Week 9 Lions-Packers broadcast, Tafur offers. This would obviously be an unusual way for a franchise to gather intel on a candidate, and it obviously calls Brady’s FOX role into question as far as objectivity goes. Considering the steam Johnson has gained with the Raiders, the ongoing Brady conflict-of-interest subplot will continue Saturday.

Johnson is still in play for the Bears and Jaguars’ jobs, and while it is not known if the teams have him as a favorite, Mike Vrabel being off the carousel leaves Johnson as the hottest candidate based on history and the Lions’ dominant season on offense. The Jags are believed to be heavily interested. Johnson cannot conduct any second interviews until a Super Bowl bye week, or if the Lions are eliminated earlier.

For Johnson to back out of the Commanders’ search only to join the Raiders would represents a borderline coup for Brady, and it would add even more intrigue to a division that has seen tremendous coaching talent join Andy Reid in recent years. Johnson would join Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh in the AFC West. The Raiders still have interviews to go through, and Johnson’s past should remind this is not a done deal. But this much noise about the situation is certainly interesting this early in the process.

2025 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

With the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy splitting up, seven teams have made coaching changes so far during this year’s cycle. Here are the candidates connected to each of the now-HC-needy franchises. If more teams make changes, they will be added to the list.

Updated 1-25-25 (4:06pm CT)

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Raiders Request Interviews With Giants’, Chargers’ Assistant GMs

The list of candidates for the Raiders‘ open general manager position continues to grow. After three interviews were requested or announced yesterday, the team requested two more interviews today. Earlier, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported that the Raiders were the latest team to request an interview with Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tagged on a request to interview Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander, as well.

While he has yet to earn his first general manager position just yet, Brown is once again getting interest in a top job. Brown is one of the younger names you’ll see getting interviews in this cycle. He only broke into the NFL as a pro personnel intern for the Jets in 2012. In 2017, Brown got his big break, getting hired as assistant director of pro scouting in Philadelphia. After two years in the position, Brown was promoted to director of pro scouting and, two years later, was promoted as second time to director of player personnel. After only a year in that role, the Giants hired Brown away to become their assistant general manager in 2022.

Before he was hired by New York, he was interviewed in 2022 for the Vikings GM position that went to Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. His meteoric rise stalled a bit in 2023, as he continued his job without further interviews, but last year, both the Panthers and Chargers booked him as a candidate for their open GM jobs, which eventually went to Dan Morgan and Joe Hortiz, respectively. Both teams even moved him on to the second round of interviews before making their decisions.

Alexander has been around a bit longer than Brown. He spent 20 seasons in Baltimore in a variety of roles, mostly in the personnel department under Ozzie Newsome. He followed Joe Douglas to the Jets, when Douglas was hired as GM, to serve as director of player personnel, a role Alexander held for five years in New York. When his other former coworker in Baltimore, Hortiz, was hired as GM in Los Angeles last year, he followed to take on his current role.

While Alexander has extensive experience in NFL front offices, having just completed his 26th season in the NFL, this is his first interview for a general manager position. If the Raiders are able to complete interviews with two of Brown, Alexander, and Steelers director of pro scouting Sheldon White, they will have satisfied the interview requirements of the Rooney Rule.

For now, both Brown and Alexander join a currently short list of Raiders’ candidates, though more candidates are expected to be announced. Here’s the full list of the team’s planned and requested interviews:

  • Chad Alexander, assistant general manager (Chargers): Interview requested
  • Brandon Brown, assistant general manager (Giants): Interview requested
  • Lance Newmark, assistant general manager (Commanders): Potential frontrunner?
  • John Spytek, assistant general manager (Buccaneers): To interview
  • Jon-Eric Sullivan, director of player personnel (Packers): Interview requested
  • Sheldon White, director of pro scouting (Steelers): Interview requested

Raiders Request GM Interview With Steelers Exec Sheldon White

The Raiders have requested an interview with Steelers director of pro scouting Sheldon White, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

White is a former NFL cornerback who began his front office career as a scout for the Lions in 1997. He worked his way up to director of player personnel by 2000, earned a title bump to vice president in 2009, and even served as the interim general manager after the Lions fired Martin Mayhew in 2015. White then joined Michigan State University’s front office until 2020 when he returned to the NFL as a scout with the Commanders.

Steelers general manager Omar Khan hired White as the team’s director of pro scouting in 2022. Pittsburgh has gone 29-22 since then with two playoff appearances. (The Lions made the playoffs just twice during White’s 15 years leading their pro personnel team, though the team went 6-2 during his time as interim GM.)

The Steelers’ major free agency signings under White including Patrick Queen and Russell Wilson in 2024, Larry Ogunjobi and Isaac Seumalo in 2023, and James Daniels and Myles Jack in 2022. Queen and Wilson both played key roles in Pittsburgh’s playoff push this year. Daniels has struggled to stay healthy, but Ogunjobi and Seumalo have been solid contributors in the trenches. Jack’s tenure was interrupted by his first retirement.

White is the third official candidate for the Raiders’ general manager role. Here is a full list of their planned and requested interviews:

  • John Spytek, assistant general manager (Buccaneers): To interview
  • Jon-Eric Sullivan, director of player personnel (Packers): Interview requested
  • Sheldon White, director of pro scouting (Steelers): Interview requested