A report came out recently revealing that Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham turned down a contract extension in the offseason. He's now a free agent and could leave for any team he wants.
While the Raiders would almost certainly want him back, especially if Antonio Pierce is retained as head coach, it looks like he's going to explore his options. After a down year for Las Vegas, it seemed like Graham wouldn't continue to get head coaching interviews. That's not the case as the Jacksonville Jaguars that Graham is among the coaches they are interviewing for their head coaching opening.
The #Jaguars have requested to interview the following candidates for HC, including former #Jets HC Robert Saleh. pic.twitter.com/TFynd0iWHB
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 7, 2025
It seems like a long shot that Graham will get this job. The Jaguars should likely go in the offensive-minded direction to see if they can find a way to fix Trevor Lawrence. They may also want a culture builder like Mike Vrabel. Graham doesn't have any head coaching experience so that might turn them off to him.
However, that's not the only job Graham is interviewing for. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the coach is also interviewing with the Cincinnati Bengals for their defensive coordinator opening.
The #Bengals plan to interview #Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham today for their DC job, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 7, 2025
Graham is also a candidate for the #Jaguars head coaching job. But his contract is up in Las Vegas and he has permission to interview for DC jobs now. pic.twitter.com/le350DGCec
Now this should have the Raiders much more concerned. Graham has been a good soldier for Las Vegas but this job can't be easy. The team appears headed in the wrong direction and there's a lot of uncertainty at head coach.
Graham doesn't even know yet if Pierce will be back next year. If the Raiders make a head coaching change, the next head coach may not even want Graham to be his defensive coordinator. Even if he wants to stay in Las Vegas, it's smart for him to see his options.
The Bengals could be appealing as they have a great offense and just need to get the defense fixed to get back into Super Bowl contention. That said, Lou Anarumo was considered a great defensive coordinator before this season, so it's possible that the Bengals' defense is just too devoid of talent to be competitive.