The Las Vegas Raiders are quickly looking to fill out their coaching staff following the hire of Klint Kubiak. Although young and a first-time head coach, Kubiak is well-respected around the league and has plenty of connections to put together a great group of teachers.
Las Vegas kicked off the hirings by tabbing veteran Mike McCoy as an assistant head coach. The Raiders then interviewed in-house candidate Rob Leonard for the defensive coordinator post and Seattle Seahawks wide receivers coach Frisman Jackson for the offensive coordinator job.
To continue their defensive coordinator search, which many believe is most important, considering Kubiak's offensive background, Las Vegas requested to interview Los Angeles Rams assistant head coach and defensive passing game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Raiders request to interview Rams assistant Aubrey Pleasant for DC opening
After four years of playing safety and being a captain for the Wisconsin Badgers, Pleasant went undrafted in 2009. After a year at the high school level, he joined the college ranks at Big Ten rival Michigan in 2011. Of course, that will appeal to Tom Brady and John Spytek, both former Wolverines.
At Michigan, Pleasant was a defensive graduate assistant and an assistant defensive backs coach. He worked alongside current Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich there. More on that in a minute.
He spent the 2013 offseason as an intern for the Cleveland Browns, where he worked under Norv Turner and alongside Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing. Later in 2013, he joined the legendary Washington Redskins staff.
There, he worked under Mike and Kyle Shanahan as an offensive assistant, where he crossed paths with the likes of Matt LaFleur, Mike McDaniel, Raheem Morris and Sean McVay. He spent four seasons in Washington working alongside those coaches, the final three of which as a defensive QC.
Of course, when McVay took the head coaching gig with the Rams, Pleasant followed him to Los Angeles as a cornerbacks coach. He held that title for four years, working under Wade Phillips and Brandon Staley and alongside Ejiro Evero and Chris Shula.
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In 2021, he stood on his own two feet and accepted a promotion with the Lions, becoming the defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator. He held that title for a year and a half, working under Dan Campbell, Aaron Glenn and Kelvin Sheppard.
Pleasant was fired by the Lions partway through the 2022 season. Down on his luck, he landed as an offensive consultant with the Green Bay Packers, where he was reunited with LaFleur and Stenavich, his former fellow Michigan graduate assistant.
Over the last three seasons, Pleasant has served as a defensive passing game coordinator for the Rams, and he was promoted from defensive backs coach to assistant head coach in 2024, a title he has held for two years. He was a popular name during this hiring cycle.
One thing about McVay is that not only is he a schematic savant, but he is a proven developer of great coaches. Pleasant being the assistant head coach under McVay means he is highly regarded by one of the best coaches in the league.
Still just 41 years old, Pleasant is a fast riser in the coaching world and could be up to the task in Las Vegas. His background on both sides of the ball makes him an intriguing candidate, and Pleasant's constant rubbing of shoulders with other great NFL coaches should get Raiders fans excited.