For a moment there, it really looked possible.
For about 36 hours, the idea of Deion Sanders coaching the Raiders next year felt, at the very least, feasible. For starters, it was reported that he was not only extremely interested in the job, but was already reaching out through people he knew in the league to inquire about an interview. On top of that, the idea of him going to coach the team that – in theory, at least – drafted his son with a Top-5 pick seemed right up his alley; it's not like he or Shedeur have been bashful about their interest in the Raiders this season.
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But, if you can believe it, the Raiders were being played! According to a new report from The Athletic's Raiders reporters Vic Tarfur and Tashan Reed, not only is Sanders not going to interview for the job, but the Raiders have no interest whatsoever in that possibility.
Raiders are reportedly not interested in interviewing Deion Sanders for their HC opening
"There’s been some buzz about University of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, but the Raiders have “zero interest” in hiring him, according to a league source. Agents using the stubbornly quiet Raiders for leverage goes as far back as the franchise’s losing."
Well then! That was fast. Like the report points out, it's not entirely surprising that the Raiders were really just being used as leverage – if anything it's a clever move by Sanders and his agent. You don't get very many opportunities in life to leverage on "I could go coach my son's NFL team if I wanted to," so when the moment arrives, you've gotta capitalize. Fair play to Sanders.
This report also maybe, potentially, might have something to do with another report this morning that detailed the team's, uh, intense interest in Lions' offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Tom Brady's reportedly been pushing hard for Johnson to take the Raiders' interview, and it sounds like it may be working. So all in all, the Coach Prime Raiders hysteria was probably nothing more than some savvy agent leverage. And what are the modern Raiders if not the NFL's best example of a team exists solely to earn other people a little more money?