The Las Vegas Raiders have settled for "good enough" at head coach and quarterback over the last few years. While they've pursued some of the hottest names in the sport, they've always fallen short, and they have no real success to show for it.
Lack of a franchise player under center has certainly been a limiting factor, as bright offensive minds have steered clear of Las Vegas' Band-Aid quarterbacks. Kliff Kingsbury did it when he was lined up to be the offensive coordinator in 2024, and Ben Johnson spurned the franchise last offseason.
But the Raiders bottomed out during the 2025 NFL season, and while painful at times, it might have been the best thing that could have happened. Not only are they positioned to get their quarterback of the future, but it opens up an entirely new world of head coach candidates to replace Pete Carroll.
Raiders' head coaching vacancy is shaping up to be quite attractive
Having the opportunity to land a rookie quarterback will intrigue any prospective head coach, especially one from an offensive background. But that's not the only reason why a gig in Las Vegas could be attractive to candidates.
John Spytek and the front office, which is filled with studs from around the league, have $110 million to spend this offseason. That number could go up depending on the conclusion of the Christian Wilkins grievance, as well as what the Raiders decide to do with Geno Smith.
Las Vegas is clearly all-in on rebuilding, which means that Mark Davis, or Tom Brady, or whoever is making the decisions for the Silver and Black, will be patient with a head coach for the first time in recent memory. That's a nice spot to be in.
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Not to mention, the Raiders aren't exactly devoid of talent. They have Maxx Crosby and Kolton Miller both on fairly team-friendly deals, and both Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty have multiple years left on their rookie contracts.
Spytek's inaugural rookie class seems to be full of promise as well, as once they got an opportunity to play, they made the most of it. Jack Bech, Caleb Rogers and Darien Porter, in particular, showed flashes of being at least solid starters in the NFL going forward.
Several teams around the league also have openings, as the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns will all be searching for their head coach of the future this offseason as well.
But between a rookie quarterback and tons of draft picks, stability, plenty of money to spend in free agency and a handful of young talents already on the roster, the Raiders should get their choice of head coaches for the first time in a while. Maybe ever. Let's hope they make the right decision.