The Las Vegas Raiders could be close to hiring their next head coach but if Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson turns them down, they may not love their other options. It's a pretty weak candidate pool this year and Mike Vrabel was quickly taken off the market.
If the Raiders miss out on Johnson, it seems like they could target Pete Carroll, but he's 73 and would be the oldest head coach in NFL history next season. It's possible that owner Mark Davis might want to go back to somebody he likes if Tom Brady strikes out on his top candidates.
Jon Gruden's second tenure with the Raiders wasn't great. The team didn't finish with a winning record in any of his three seasons and his drafting is among the worst we've ever seen. However, he still has some value as a coach if he's locked out of the room when it comes to roster and draft decisions.
As unlikely as it might seem, Mike Sando of The Athletic floated Gruden as a "wild card" candidate for the Raiders job.
"Gruden sued the NFL, alleging the league forced him to resign as coach of the Raiders in 2021 after leaking offensive emails Gruden had exchanged with confidants while serving as an ESPN analyst years earlier," Sando wrote. "Davis is not the maverick his legendary father was, so he might be less likely to re-hire Gruden, which would be seen around the NFL as raising a giant middle finger toward the league office. This would be among the wildest of the wild-card scenarios for Las Vegas, especially with Brady setting a new course."
It's hard to imagine Brady would want Gruden but if he can't seal the deal with Johnson, Davis may wrestle back control of the search. If that happens, things could get even messier for Las Vegas.