Oakland Raiders Contract Offer Turned Down by Todd Grantham

Oct 18, 2014; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Grantham reacts on the side line during the second half of play against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Papa John

Going to the collegiate ranks for their defensive coordinator search, the Oakland Raiders were hoping that the allure of an NFL job would help bring in a top defensive mind to the franchise. Something that head coach Jack Del Rio may not have accounted for is competing with the money and opportunity to remain at a major program in the NCAA, something that appears to have caused a failed negotiation with their recent interviewee for the defensive coordinator job.

According to multiple sources Grantham turned down a contract offer to move to the NFL with the Raiders, opting to remain in the ACC with the Louisville Cardinals after moving to the Kentucky school from the University of Georgia.

Grantham told a local newspaper out of Louisville that he had interviewed for the position, but will remain with the Cardinals as he feels that they have a chance at contending for a National Championship out of the ACC. Something that may be a possibility with the Florida State Seminoles their only obstacle in the conference next season even if Louisville will be in their second season post-Teddy Bridgewater.

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“I’m grateful for the opportunity to have interviewed for the defensive coordinator position with the Oakland Raiders, but I’m committed to the University of Louisville,” Grantham said in a statement, according to The Courier-Journal. “I said when I came to Louisville that I thought we could win a national championship, and we are building toward that goal with the success we had this season.”

It will be interesting to see where the Raiders go from here when it comes to their now long running defensive coordinator search that has seen many candidates turn down the franchise for other opportunities. Opting to try the college route, Del Rio might be finding out that assistants at the NCAA level enjoy coaching at a national power over getting one of the few NFL defensive coordinator jobs available as Grantham appears to believe that having the chance to coach a conference championship contender is more valuable than making a return to the pro ranks.

Now the Raiders will be back to the drawing board when it comes to their DC search, but the presence of Del Rio, who will have a significant influence on the defensive playbook, makes this less of a concern as it could be. Regardless of having Del Rio to help the defense, the new Raiders head coach will be hoping to finally find his defensive coordinator soon as January nears its end. Perhaps a play for one of the Seattle Seahawks assistants could be in the cards post-Super Bowl, but for now the Raiders are left looking for a new favorite in their search as this time a college football assistant has turned down the team in the seemingly never ending process of finding their 2015 DC.