The Las Vegas Raiders' head coach evaluation process isn't seemingly coming to an end anytime soon. John Spytek and Tom Brady, for however much he is involved, are conducting a thorough search for the organization's next leader, and it's hard to read the tea leaves on who they'll hire.
For all the smoke about Jesse Minter, Brian Daboll and Joe Brady, all three of those candidates have found homes elsewhere in the NFL. Klint Kubiak has been the crown jewel of the coaching cycle, but his Seattle Seahawks team's advancement to the Super Bowl is muddying the team's timeline a bit.
Davis Webb also seems to be firmly in the running, but the fact that he hasn't been hired yet probably means that the Raiders' brass favors Kubiak, or at least wants to meet with him again. By that same token, Las Vegas is allowed to interview Kubiak this week, and they have not even planned to do so.
Adam Schefter reports Davis Webb is now being requested for OC jobs
Things got thrown for even more of a loop on Tuesday, however, when the Broncos fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. While this move likely needed to happen anyway, the timing of it certainly makes it seem like Sean Payton is playing his final card to keep Webb in Denver.
To make matters even more complex, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Webb, who missed out on the Buffalo Bills' head coaching job and has not yet been hired by the Raiders, is now being requested as an offensive coordinator for other teams.
"After Broncos passing game coordinator and QB coach Davis Webb interviewed this week for the Raiders and Bills head coaching jobs, he received interview requests for offensive coordinator jobs with the Eagles, Giants, and Ravens."
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One way to interpret this information is that other teams are now trying their hand at Webb because he is still available. Another way to decode this is that those around the league don't think Webb will be the head coach hire in Las Vegas, so they're now thinking he'll settle for a coordinator gig.
If Webb accepts these interview requests, however, things will be fairly cut-and-dry. The only way to interpret that situation would be that Webb doesn't think he'll get the Raiders' head coaching job, and Spytek and Brady are all-in on Kubiak, if they can get him.
Heck, maybe Webb's agent is trying to put some pressure on the Silver and Black by letting them know that, although the Bills didn't hire Webb, it's not like the franchise can string him along and make him the backup option. Las Vegas has competition.
Patience is certainly a virtue, and there is something to be said for leaving no stone unturned. That said, Raider Nation is antsy to figure out who their next leader will be, and getting a coaching staff in place and the offseason fully underway is a critical element to team building as well.