Being an NFL head coach isn't for the faint of heart. Nearly a third of the workforce was fired or chose to walk away this offseason, including legends like Mike Tomlin, John Harbaugh, and Pete Carroll. The Las Vegas Raiders gave Carroll the ax, so they have yet another head coach vacancy.
John Spytek and Tom Brady have already interviewed 14 candidates to fill the job, 12 of whom are still available. However, the Buffalo Bills made a bombshell decision to fire Sean McDermott on Monday. This could have massive ramifications for the Raiders' head coach search.
Not only do the Bills instantly become a premier spot for prospective coaches, giving Las Vegas one less potential candidate, but McDermott, himself, becomes available. The air hasn't quite cleared yet from his firing, but the Raiders should at least entertain pairing him and Davis Webb in Las Vegas.
Raiders should entertain a Sean McDermott-Davis Webb pairing
Is McDermott the best or most exciting head coach available? Certainly not. Most of Raider Nation wants a younger, first-time head coach from an offensive background to take the reins in Las Vegas, and for good reason. McDermott is none of those things.
But an argument could also be made for the Silver and Black hiring a coach with experience and a track record of recent success. McDermott is certainly that. He's been to the postseason in eight of the last nine seasons and won a playoff game in six straight years, after all.
Pairing him with Webb, whom McDermott has familiarity with after coaching him for three years from 2019 to 2021 in Buffalo, may be the best of both worlds for the Raiders. They get an experienced defensive savant and a young, offensive-minded play-caller to work with Fernando Mendoza.
Two birds with one stone.
Richie Incognito, who is a respected voice within Raider Nation, also weighed in on McDermott after he was fired. It's safe to say that the former Pro Bowl offensive lineman wants the Bills' former head coach to at least get a look in Las Vegas.
"The Raiders need to take a serious look at Sean McDermott. Proven leader. Consistent winner. Culture builder. That’s the kind of stability Vegas needs."
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McDermott does come with some red flags, however, as he was never able to get over the hump in the AFC, despite having an MVP quarterback in Josh Allen. But Bills general manager Brandon Beane did him no favors with team building over the years, and the defense has hardly been the issue.
Plus, nobody has gotten over the Kansas City Chiefs-sized hump in the conference outside of Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. It's been a hard thing to accomplish. But the Bills reached their breaking point when the team fell short without the Chiefs or the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs.
That doesn't mean that McDermott isn't a good coach. It doesn't mean that he can't develop talent. Plus, the last time he paired a rookie quarterback with a respected offensive mind in NFL circles, things worked out very well.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero suggested that it "doesn't make a ton of sense for [McDermott] to go into a total rebuild," due to his age and recent success. Pelissero even pointed out the Raiders by name as a non-viable option for him.
But something could be appealing to him about working with the No. 1 overall pick and joining a team that will have patience with him again as they use their copious draft picks and ample salary cap space to build a contender. It might not take as long as most people think, either.
Never having called plays before, some may also still have apprehension about Webb, despite his thorough praise throughout this coaching cycle. But even as a coordinator, Webb could easily be the Mendoza whisperer that the Raiders desperately need to find this offseason. McDermott trusts him.
While fans would prefer that to come from the head coach position for stability's sake, getting Mendoza off on the right foot is critical. In a lot of ways, having Webb and quickly losing him would be better than never having him at all. Losing coordinators is a good problem to have.
It's not being reported by anyone that the Raiders have interest in McDermott, and it is even less likely that he actually end up in Las Vegas. But this pairing is something that Spytek and Brady should at least consider, as it will cover their bases a good bit if things go south in the coaching cycle.