The Las Vegas Raiders have several coaching vacancies to fill this offseason. Of course, the most important decision will be figuring out who will be the franchise's next head coach after Pete Carroll was fired on Black Monday.
There are also, however, openings at offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator, as Chip Kelly and Tom McMahon were both canned in the second half of the season. The only outlier to the franchise's overhaul is Patrick Graham, who remains under contract for the time being.
He has already had one team, the Washington Commanders, request to interview him to fill their vacancy at defensive coordinator. Graham received his first request to interview for a head coaching role during this year's hiring cycle on Tuesday, leaving his future in Las Vegas in question.
Recent interest in Patrick Graham could affect his Raiders future
Graham has been able to survive multiple regime changes in Las Vegas, as he was originally brought in as Josh McDaniels' defensive coordinator. He retained the role under both Antonio Pierce and Pete Carroll, and remains the only coordinator under contract with the Raiders.
Since joining Las Vegas, his unit has consistently ranked in the bottom-10 in scoring defense, outside of an outlier year in 2023, where they finished ninth. It is hard to fault Graham, however, as he has often, aside from Maxx Crosby, lacked talent yet gotten the most out of his group.
The Raiders have also finished in the top half of the league in total yards allowed in each of the past three seasons. While he has become one of the more underrated coaches in the league, he is set to interview for the Miami Dolphins head coaching vacancy, according to Vegas Sports Today's Nick Walters.
"The #Dolphins requested to interview #Raiders DC Patrick Graham for their head coach job, his first HC interview request this cycle. Graham also had a DC request with the Commanders. He had two HC interviews with the Jaguars last year. If he stays in Vegas, it'd be with his fourth coaching regime in four seasons: McDaniels, Pierce, Carroll, ?"
Graham remains a long shot to land his first head coaching gig with the team who gave him his first shot as a defensive coordinator, however, if he is offered an opportunity to climb the coaching ranks, that would certainly affect the Raiders' ability to bring him back. If he does land the gig, Las Vegas would, of course, receive third-round picks in the 2026 and 2027 NFL Drafts due to the Rooney Rule.
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The other factor that could affect Graham's future with the team will be who is hired as Las Vegas' head coach. While the incoming head coach would be wise to keep him on board and see what he can do with an influx of talent, there will certainly be some coaches who would bring in someone they may have more familiarity working with.
The best fit for Graham would likely be Brian Flores, who the Raiders have yet to request to interview, as the two worked as the defensive coordinator and head coach, respectively, of the Dolphins in 2019. They also spent seven seasons together on Bill Belichick's staff with the New England Patriots.
Outside of Flores, the most likely situation for Graham to remain in Las Vegas would be if the team hires an offensive mind as head coach. That would likely open the door for him to be retained, particularly if they do not have many defensive connections around the league.
An additional situation to monitor is how Graham's future will affect Crosby. The five-time Pro Bowler, who has had his name in trade rumors, has been open about his strong relationship with the defensive coordinator, which could give the Raiders additional motivation to keep him around.