The Las Vegas Raiders are in the midst of an extensive coaching search. The franchise, which is set to hire its sixth head coach in as many seasons, is looking to find the right candidate to lead it into the future during its ongoing rebuild.
Las Vegas has not tipped its hand during the ongoing search, interviewing candidates who specialize on both sides of the ball, as well as ones with varying levels of experience. The overwhelming consensus, however, is that the Raiders will ultimately hire a young, offense-minded coach with the hope of developing projected No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, while turning around an offense that, despite having some weapons, ranked last in both scoring and total yards.
General manager John Spytek has expressed the importance of having the right head coach and quarterback combination. One NFL insider believes that Las Vegas will go with an outside-the-box hire to pair with Mendoza.
Latest NFL insider projection has Raiders making an unconventional hire
The Raiders' front office has made it clear that they are aware of the importance of their next hire for the franchise. Spytek shared that he plans to conduct an extensive search, and he has done exactly that, as the list of candidates that have been interviewed, or requested for an interview, is approaching 15.
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer predicted that Las Vegas will hire Denver Broncos quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator Davis Webb.
"I got an off-the-wall one here... Davis Webb... He has the presence. He has the personality to reach players. He's just a really unique guy, and I think the people in Denver would tell you his football acumen is where it needs to be. So, I think Davis would make a lot of sense for them... I think it would make some sense if it was Davis Webb. I think it'd be a gamble, of course."
Webb would be a very unconventional hire as he will turn 31 years old later this month. His coaching career began in 2023, the year after he retired from the NFL. While he has yet to serve as a coordinator or play caller, there is plenty of upside to naming him the next head coach.
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Breer and his co-host, Conor Orr, mentioned that he could bring Kliff Kingsbury, his former college coach, in as offensive coordinator. Webb has also received plenty of praise for his work with young quarterbacks, which would be pivotal if the franchise goes in the direction that most expect by selecting Mendoza.
Las Vegas needs to do everything it can to set the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner up for success. They already have key pieces such as Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty in place, while complementary pieces Tre Tucker, Michael Mayer, Jack Bech, and Dont'e Thornton Jr. will also factor into the offense.
Adding a coach who has been touted as a quarterback whisperer could be the icing on the cake for the development of Mendoza and a quick turnaround for the Raiders' offense. Stealing him from Bo Nix and the rival Broncos would be a cherry on top for Las Vegas.