Pete Carroll has already started putting together his first coaching staff as the new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
He started by reaching a deal with Patrick Graham on Wednesday evening to retain him as defensive coordinator in Las Vegas, which provides some stability for an ever-changing franchise.
The next step in the process will be hiring someone to man the offense. While Darrell Bevell seems to be the early favorite for the position, there are a handful of viable young playcallers who could fill the role as well.
If Las Vegas wanted to mimic what some of the best teams in the NFL are doing, they would hire a former head coach to lead their offense, like Mike McCarthy or Doug Pederson.
But there is one more name I'd like to float out there that would be a practical option for the Raiders.
Carroll could bring Lane Kiffin back to the Raiders as an offensive coordinator
While there are no reports currently linking Kiffin to the job, this pairing is more about the two's history.
Before serving as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 2007-2008, Kiffin was a position coach and coordinator under Carroll at the University of Southern California for six seasons.
Kiffin left USC for the Raiders, and while his tenure in Oakland was far from successful, he could still be an effective offensive coordinator. The reality is that Kiffin was not ready to be a head coach when he was hired, but he has had multiple successful stints in college since then to grow.
Kiffin is nearly 50 now, and while he seemingly enjoys his job and the $9 million paycheck as the head football coach at Ole Miss, something tells me that he would like another shot at the professional level before it is too late.
With plenty of years of coaching ahead of him, he could serve as Carroll's understudy and be poised for a head coaching job in no time. He did take over for Carroll when he left USC, after all.
Carroll also credits Kiffin's father, Monte, for establishing the roots of his defensive philosophy.
"I owe him everything," said Carroll, "He taught me everything I know about defense."
Perhaps Carroll feels a kinship toward the Kiffin family and gives Lane another shot to be his offensive coordinator.
Another promising aspect of Kiffin being on staff would be his relationship with prospective quarterback Jaxson Dart, who many feel could be drafted by the Raiders in April. The two are close from their time at Ole Miss and it could accelerate the young quarterback's learning curve.
Many will point out that Kiffin and Al Davis did not get along well, and that Kiffin was fired from the organization in disgrace. However, it is not unlike Mark Davis to be the granter of second chances.
Al Davis traded away Jon Gruden in 2002 after the men struggled over control of the roster, but Mark Davis brought him back to coach the Raiders once again in 2018.
Even Al Davis believed in redemption, as he hired back Art Shell to coach the team after firing him 12 years prior.
Neither Gruden nor Shell were wildly successful in their second stints, in fact, Shell led arguably the most disastrous Raiders campaign in recent memory.
But Kiffin would only be an offensive coordinator. And he could be a good one.