The Las Vegas Raiders find themselves in the same position this offseason that they have been in for years: Coming off a brutal campaign, changing head coaches, and in desperate need of the right quarterback under center.
Thankfully, the Raiders hold the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, so they'll have their pick of Indiana's Fernando Mendoza or Oregon's Dante Moore come April. That should solve the quarterback problem. Figuring out who to pair that young signal-caller with, however, is another issue entirely.
After a star-studded group of candidates hit the coaching cycle last offseason and made an instant impact in 2025, the market this year feels relatively thin in comparison. But there might soon be an absolute dream candidate out there for Mark Davis and Co. He's just not available quite yet.
Raiders should send an all-out blitz for Packers' Matt LaFleur if he's fired
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio wrote on Sunday about a potential landing spot for Kevin Stefanski this offseason if he were fired by the Cleveland Browns. That spot was the Green Bay Packers, whom Florio believes could part ways with head coach Matt LaFleur after the playoffs.
"While the Packers have still made the playoffs, they’re the No. 7 seed for the third straight year. Without expansion of the postseason field in 2020, the Packers would be on a four-year streak of no playoff appearances.
"That could make the wild-card round critical for coach Matt LaFleur and G.M. Brian Gutekunst. New team president Ed Policy, who grew up a Browns fan, made it clear in June 2024 that neither LaFleur nor Gutekunst would get contract extensions before the end of the 2025 season. And with both signed through 2026, Policy added that he’s not a fan of lame-duck arrangements.
"Which means it’ll likely be new contracts or pink slips for the Packers coach and G.M. once the 2025 campaign ends," Florio wrote. "The situation will hit a full boil next weekend, when the Packers go to either Chicago or Philadelphia. A loss could prompt Policy to explore his options."
Whew. Stefanski was fired by the Browns on Monday, so the first domino has already fallen on this front. If the Packers' owner is truly entranced with someone like Stefanski, given his Cleveland fandom, then Raider Nation should be rooting hard for the Packers to lose to Chicago this weekend.
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LaFleur hasn't won a Super Bowl in his seven years at the helm in Green Bay, but he's been to the postseason six times, and to the NFC Championship Game on two occasions. No, he hasn't returned there since 2020, and he's only won a single playoff game since Aaron Rodgers' departure.
But LaFleur is one of the most well-respected and brilliant offensive minds in the history of the sport. He is a prominent branch of the Shanahan and McVay coaching tree. In fact, he is one of the strongest roots of it.
He would bring a matter-of-fact attitude to Las Vegas that they've been missing, and he has the pedigree to back it up. With a career winning percentage of 65.4%, he would join the Raiders with the strongest track record in the coaching cycle, outside of Mike McCarthy.
Bursting through the ranks as a quarterbacks coach and an offensive coordinator, LaFleur would be the perfect leader to pair with a young quarterback like Mendoza or Moore. A tough, but fair offensive genius is sure to get the most out of a rookie signal-caller.
Malik Willis has even had success under LaFleur's tutelage. As a head coach, the Packers' offense has never been worse than league-average. Of course, they're 16th this year, but they've been inhibited by injuries to key pieces like Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs, Tucker Kraft and Jayden Reed.
Getting the most out of Kraft and Jacobs should excite Raiders fans about the opportunity for LaFleur to get his hands on Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty. If the Packers are foolish enough to think that they can do better than LaFleur, Las Vegas should perform an all-out blitz to land him.
Las Vegas' pursuit of Ben Johnson last offseason proved that with Brady in the building, it can at least get the top names to listen. If things go sideways for LaFleur in Green Bay, getting him to listen won't be the goal. Nailing him down as the Raiders' next head coach will be. He's the top choice.