It's been difficult to read the tea leaves for the Las Vegas Raiders' head coaching search this offseason because there aren't any. The process has been a sealed vault like Fort Knox under John Spytek and Tom Brady, with very few, if any, leaks about what the duo plans to do or who they favor.
Most of their presumed top candidates are still coaching in the postseason, which has further muddied the waters. Many expected Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to be a finalist, but after his second interview took place on Tuesday, the Raiders let him leave the building.
Things changed on Wednesday, however, when Minter interviewed for the Baltimore Ravens' head coaching post and they, too, let him leave the building. Minter has seemed like the frontrunner in Baltimore considering his history there, but he wasn't swayed enough to make a snap decision.
Raiders miss out on Jesse Minter as he accepts Ravens' HC offer
To further complicate matters, things took another turn when Minter cancelled his in-person interview with the Cleveland Browns on Thursday, according to Jordan Schultz. Coaches typically only do this if they've decided on a spot, or if they've really narrowed things down.
Minter's choice to only take in-person interviews with the Raiders and Ravens certainly painted a picture of a coach who may be deciding between the two. Well, Minter decided to accept the head coaching job in Baltimore on Thursday afternoon, slamming the door shut for Las Vegas.
Raider Nation gave up on the idea that Minter was coming to Sin City when he wasn't hired following his interview on Tuesday. The door cracked open a bit, however, when Minter didn't immediately reach a deal with the Ravens and cancelled his meeting with the Browns. But it's a done deal now.
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Spytek and Brady are Michigan alums, and Minter was the defensive coordinator for the Wolverines for several years under Jim Harbaugh. That was the crux of the dot connecting between him and Las Vegas, but it wasn't enough for the two sides to move forward and strike a deal.
The Raiders are likely to bring in Fernando Mendoza this April, and much of the fanbase wants an offensive-minded head coach because of that. Who Minter's offensive coordinator would have been was a concern anyway.
Las Vegas could have done far worse than Minter, who was one of the most well-regarded coaches in this cycle. His name was always thrown around as an option for the Raiders, but now they'll pivot, once again, hopefully toward an offensive mind like Davis Webb, Klint Kubiak or Mike LaFleur.