Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders requested to interview Green Bay Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan as part of their general manager search, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant general manager John Spytek will also interview with Las Vegas.

Sullivan recently interviewed with the Tennessee Titans for the same role, and he's reportedly a target for the New York Jets. Spytek met with the Titans as well.

Sullivan joined the Packers full time in 2004, working first as an area scout and steadily moving up the ladder. He became the director of scouting in 2016 and was named a co-director of player personnel in 2018. He assumed his current role in 2022.

Spytek is in his second season as Tampa Bay's assistant GM, having first arrived in 2016. He was the Bucs' vice president of player personnel for two years before becoming the second in command behind general manager Jason Licht.

The MMQB's Albert Breer included both Sullivan and Spytek in a list of likely future GMs working in NFL front offices.

He credited Spytek and Tampa Bay's front office for having "turned one of the oldest rosters in the league into one of the youngest, without falling off—and with multiple head coaches and quarterbacks at the helm."

Breer also offered insight into Sullivan's contributions in Green Bay.

"A football lifer, as the son of long-time NFL receivers coach Jerry Sullivan (who still works with Justin Jefferson), Jon-Eric Sullivan has proven himself an exceptional evaluator, a strong link between scouting and coaching and a valuable safety net for Gutekunst on anything in the draft or free agency," he wrote.

"Sullivan's been involved in the cap too, had a voice in the coaching search that landed Matt LaFleur and even has been looped in on things like player discipline and strength-and-conditioning. As an anecdote, he happened to be the scout who first put Jordan Love on Gutekunst's radar."

Being able to identify quarterback talent would be very helpful for the Raiders.

Las Vegas is all but guaranteed to have a new starting quarterback in 2025 and the franchise could look to address that need through the draft with a dearth of good options available in free agency.

The Raiders have the No. 6 overall pick, which means they'll need to trade up if they want to get one of the top two signal-callers (Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders) on the board. Absent that, it will be imperative for the franchise to either find a QB who's worth reaching for in the Top 10 or offers hidden value in a later round.

NFL legend and Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady wasn't a fan of former head coach Antonio Pierce's approach towards the position, according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.

"It's been well established that Brady wasn't wild about the way things operated with Antonio Pierce, which is one reason why Pierce isn't there anymore," Breer wrote on Monday.

The Raiders fired Pierce on Jan. 7 before parting ways with general manager Tom Telesco just two days later. Las Vegas ended the regular season at 4-13.

ESPN's Adam Schefter previously revealed that Brady is part of a collaborative committee that interviews head coaching candidates and supports Raiders owner Mark Davis throughout the hiring process.

Breer noted on Monday that Silver Lake CEO Egon Durban was recently approved after buying 7.5 percent of the Raiders, giving Brady the freedom to tell possible candidates that Las Vegas will have increased financial flexibility to upgrade its roster moving forward.

"Having Durban on the team, in turn, gives someone such as Brady the chance to realistically tell prospective coaches, executives and players that a new day is coming for the Raiders, and the shoestring budgets that could sometimes result from a lack of cash on hand are gone," Breer wrote.

The Raiders have rumored interest in multiple options at head coach, including Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.

A top candidate appears to be Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, as CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones reported on Saturday that Brady has been "doing all he can to woo Johnson."

As Las Vegas continues its search for a new head coach, Brady's input on staff decisions clearly carries weight and he could help recruiting efforts moving forward.

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson reportedly wasn't considering the Las Vegas Raiders in his pursuit of a head coaching position at first, but advice from legendary former quarterback and new Raiders partial owner Tom Brady helped change his mind.

According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, Johnson's "initial plan was to take three interviews" with the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots, but "Brady's sell job, through intermediaries, made the difference."

Brady, who is also the lead NFL analyst for Fox, was approved to become a limited partner with the Raiders on a 5 percent ownership stake in October. Breer noted that while the 47-year-old isn't making the franchise his sole focus, his influence has already been felt and played a part in the firing of former head coach Antonio Pierce.

"Now, to be clear, I don't think it's Brady's intention to be there day to day—his family being in Florida full-time will likely prevent that for the time being. But I also don't think he's going to put his name on anything that he doesn't feel like he can fully put his name behind," Breer stated. "It's been well established that Brady wasn't wild about the way things operated with Antonio Pierce, which is one reason why Pierce isn't there anymore."

Brady's business partner, Tom Wagner, also purchased a 5 percent stake in the franchise, and Silver Lake CEO Egon Durban bought 7.5 percent of the team. Breer pointed out that Brady will have the "chance to realistically tell prospective coaches, executives and players that a new day is coming for the Raiders, and the shoestring budgets that could sometimes result from a lack of cash on hand are gone."

Still, the Raiders are facing important questions this offseason, as they need a new general manager and a long-term answer at quarterback. Johnson and other candidates could choose to seek a situation with more stability.

However, if the Raiders are able to land Johnson or another top option, Brady's presence will likely be a key reason why.

The Las Vegas Raiders requested to speak with Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph regarding the team's head coaching opening, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Joseph has "multiple slips" during the current hiring cycle and "more could be coming," per Rapoport.

He has previous experience as a head coach, operating in the role for Denver from 2017-18.

The Broncos' 2024 season came to an end with a 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills in their Wild Card playoff matchup on Sunday.

Michael Silver of The Athletic reported on Jan. 6 that the Chicago Bears and New York Jets have also "expressed interest" in Joseph as a head coach, while ESPN's Adam Schefter later revealed that New York put in a request to interview him.

Joseph didn't meet expectations during his first stint as a head coach, as he was fired after the Broncos finished with a record of 11-21 in two years.

He went on to become the Arizona Cardinals' defensive coordinator from 2019-22 before returning to Denver in the same role, making an instant impact as part of Sean Payton's staff.

The Broncos struggled defensively in 2023, but quickly established themselves among the NFL's elite squads in 2024. Denver's averages of 18.3 points and 317.1 yards allowed per game ranked No. 3 and No. 7 among all teams, respectively.

Joseph's unit also racked up a league-leading 63 sacks during the regular season, nine more than any other team.

The Raiders will be making a regime change during the offseason, firing head coach Antonio Pierce on Jan. 7 before parting ways with general manager Tom Telesco two days later.

Las Vegas finished at 4-13 in 2024, recording a double-digit loss total for the second time in three years.

As the Raiders attempt to turn their defense around in 2025, Joseph appears to be an option to fill their vacancy at head coach.

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis didn't choose to pursue Mike Vrabel for the team's head coaching vacancy due to a lack of success under another coach with ties to the New England Patriots, according to Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed of The Athletic.

"Davis apparently is not interested in another go-round with 'The Patriots Way' after the failure of Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler two years ago, according to league sources," Tafur and Reed wrote.

Vrabel was announced as the Patriots' new head coach on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas is currently conducting its own hiring process after parting ways with former head coach Antonio Pierce on Tuesday.

Prior to Pierce's brief tenure with the team, Josh McDaniels served as the Raiders' head coach from 2022 until he was fired after Week 8 of the 2023 season. McDaniels, who spent 13 years as New England's offensive coordinator before taking the job, finished with a record of 9-16 in Las Vegas.

Former Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler was also fired at the same time as McDaniels. Ziegler previously served as the director of player personnel with the Patriots.

Vrabel's ties to New England stem from his playing days, spending eight of his 14 years as an NFL linebacker with the organization.

Davis' hesitation following McDaniels' subpar tenure makes sense, but that hasn't stopped him from enlisting the help of Patriots icon and Raiders minority owner Tom Brady to be part of a committee to interview head coaching candidates.

Mark Maske of the Washington Post reported Thursday that Brady had a conversation with fellow New England legend and current North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick regarding a move to Las Vegas, but the team hadn't given "serious consideration" to signing Belichick.

The Raiders seem to be focused on an offensive-minded coach, as NFL Network's Ian Rapoport revealed that they're "said to be enamored with" Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

Las Vegas is still in the midst of its coaching search, but Davis didn't appear to have Vrabel on his radar before he joined the Patriots.

The Las Vegas Raiders have "zero interest" in hiring Deion Sanders away from Colorado, according to The Athletic's Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed.

On Saturday, the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Vincent Bonsignore cited a source who said Sanders "has a very strong interest in the job."

"The person indicated that NFL-connected associates of Sanders reached out to the Raiders to express Sanders' interest in the opening," Bonsignore wrote.

Even before that report—and predating the firing of Antonio Pierce—fans were questioning whether the Hall of Fame cornerback might emerge as a candidate for Las Vegas.

The Raiders are badly in need of a new quarterback and they'll likely address that concern in the 2025 NFL draft. Maybe they'd hire Coach Prime and pair him with his son, Colorado star Shedeur Sanders.

Bonsignore's report provided another wrinkle because Sanders had been giving the public impression he wants to stay with the Buffaloes for the long haul.

That Tafur and Reed already threw cold water on the idea of him landing in Sin City would seemingly eliminate the possibility. If the team doesn't have any interest right now, it's hard to picture what would lead the front office and ownership to do a 180 and consider him.

Per The Athletic, six candidates are confirmed for the Raiders: Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn, Steve Spagnuolo, Todd Monken, Robert Saleh and Pete Carroll.

More names could be added to that list because Las Vegas' search for a new head coach is less than a week old. The organization is only a few days removed from ousting general manager Tom Telesco as well.

In the event the Raiders' circle does widen, don't expect it to include Sanders.

With Mike Vrabel now off the coaching market, having joined the New England Patriots, all eyes turn to Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

And according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Las Vegas Raiders are firmly in that mix:

"My understanding is the name to watch is Johnson. They are said to be enamored with him," he reported regarding the Raiders "People ask and have been asking over the last 24 hours, 'Why would Ben Johnson be interested in a job that doesn't have a quarterback?' Tom Brady has loomed large recruiting Johnson, imploring him to take the interview and consider the Raiders. If that is something that will be a possibility for Johnson, and certainly that has worked—Johnson is said at least to be interested."

There have been other reports that Johnson and the Raiders might end up being a match:

Johnson, 38, has been one of the hottest coaching names on the market for the past two offseasons, proving to be one of the most innovative and exciting play-callers in the NFL in recent years. His offensive scheme has helped propel the Lions to the realm of the league's elite teams and has fans in Detroit thinking Super Bowl after the team secured the top overall seed in the NFC playoffs.

It's fair to argue that the Raiders aren't one of the more appealing openings remaining for a top candidate, however.

The Chicago Bears (Caleb Williams) and Jacksonville Jaguars (Trevor Lawrence) have quarterbacks in place. The New York Jets, while a mess, have more overall talent on the roster. The Raiders had a strong 2024 draft, led by the superb rookie season of tight end Brock Bowers, but fired the man who orchestrated it (former general manager Tom Telesco)

Las Vegas could look to trade up from No. 6 in order to gain a top-two pick, putting them in position to select a quarterback like Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders, but that would come at the cost of giving up valuable assets into the future. This isn't a franchise that can afford to punt on multiple drafts down the line, given the other needs on the roster.

Johnson's scheme is fantastic, but it also relies on the presence of a reliable quarterback (Jared Goff) and dynamic talent at the skill positions (Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, David Montgomery, Jameson Williams). The Raiders have Bowers, Jakobi Meyers and... not much else in that regard.

Perhaps Brady can talk Johnson into rebuilding the proud franchise together. But if Johnson is ready to make the leap to head coaching, there are more appealing destinations available.

Despite denying on multiple occasions that he was looking to leave Colorado, the allure of working with Tom Brady might be enough to get Deion Sanders into the NFL.

Per Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Sanders has a "very strong interest" in becoming head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Sanders said earlier this week on Good Morning America the only way he would consider going to the NFL is to coach both of his sons, Shedeur and Shilo (starts at 1:35 mark).

That came before Sanders went on Friday's episode of The Tamron Hall Show (h/t USA Today's Brent Schrotenboer) and said there are "a couple of teams that I won't allow" Shedeur to play for in the NFL.

Sanders didn't specify who those teams were, but it seems unlikely the Raiders fall into that group. ESPN's Jordan Raanan reported in December there's a belief that Shedeur's preference is to end up in Vegas.

There are several complicating factors at play for both members of the Sanders family if they want to be Raiders. Deion's biggest hurdle could be the presence of Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson in the mix.

Fox Sports' Peter Schrager reported on Saturday that Johnson landing with the Raiders has gained a lot of steam in the past 48 hours, but Connor Hughes of SNY.tv noted there's a strong belief he will end up going to the New England Patriots.

Hughes listed the Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears as Johnson's preferred landing spots because they all have quarterbacks in place he can work with.

Another complicating factor is whether or not Shedeur could end up in Vegas. The Raiders own the sixth pick in the 2025 draft, selecting after other quarterback-needy teams like the Tennessee Titans (No. 1), Cleveland Browns (No. 2) and New York Giants (No. 3).

B/R's NFL scouting department has Sanders ranked as the No. 2 quarterback and 15th-best prospect overall in the 2025 class. Miami's Cam Ward (No. 6 overall) is the only quarterback ahead of him.

While the overall rankings suggest Sanders could be available when the Raiders pick, the value of quarterbacks over other positions will likely push him up the board on draft night.

If the Raiders want Deion that much and understand that drafting his son is the key to making it happen, they could trade a huge haul of picks to move up and ensure they get Shedeur.

Shilo, a safety, isn't really considered much of an NFL prospect. He's not among the top 18 players at the position on B/R's draft board.

Coach Prime has a 13-12 record in two seasons at Colorado. The Buffaloes won nine games this season for the first time since 2016.

The Raiders fired head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco this week after wrapping up a 4-13 season. The franchise has just two winning seasons since 2003.

Tom Brady and the Las Vegas Raiders will be patient waiting for Ben Johnson to decide if he wants to become their head coach.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Raiders are "willing to wait" for Johnson to become available if the Detroit Lions have a long playoff run.

Rapoport noted Johnson had a virtual interview with the Raiders on Friday. He spoke with the Chicago Bears on Saturday and is also slated to talk to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Brady "has been doing all he can to woo Johnson" to join the Raiders.

Fox Sports' Peter Schrager later added Johnson to the Raiders is "picking up way more steam in league circles" over the last 48 hours.

Johnson figures to be one of the most sought-after coaching candidates in this hiring cycle. The New England Patriots announced on Friday they also completed a virtual interview with the 38-year-old.

Even though the Raiders haven't exactly a model of stability that a prominent candidate like Johnson would seem to prefer, they could have an ace in the hole this time around.

Per The Athletic's Dianna Russini, Brady's presence as part of the Raiders' ownership group has given them "an edge" in attracting candidates who may otherwise not have seriously considered working for them.

Russini previously reported Brady will have "a lot" of influence on the team's coaching search. They are also in the market for a new general manager after firing Tom Telesco on Thursday after a 4-13 record in his lone season with the club.

Another complicating factor in all of this is whether or not Johnson actually wants to leave Detroit. He has been a top head-coaching candidate for the past two years, only to decide he wanted to remain with the Lions.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, some people within the league believe Johnson could return to Detroit in 2025.

Telesco's firing could also help the Raiders with a candidate like Johnson, who would presumably want to be paired with a general manager that he has at least some rapport with to avoid a situation where there are competing roster-building philosophies.

The Raiders need to hit a home run with this hiring because this will be their fifth different head coach since the start of the 2018 season if you include Rich Bisaccia's interim stint in 2021 after Jon Gruden's resignation.

That type of instability is one of the big reasons the Raiders have only made the playoffs twice since 2003.

Legendary NFL quarterback and Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady reportedly has a specific vision for the organization's head coach and general manager search.

Speaking Friday on her Scoop City podcast (beginning at the 7-minute mark), Dianna Russini of The Athletic said the following about Brady's desire for synergy between the Raiders' next coach and GM:

"This has nothing to do with the general managing of Tom Telesco. This has everything to do with what Tom Brady wants to bring to Las Vegas, which is very much the Tom Brady way. Which has extensions to New England. So, in his mind—from what I can gather—is Brady wants a head coach and a GM in tandem that know each other, that are familiar."

On the heels of a 4-13 season, the Raiders fired head coach Antonio Pierce earlier this week and followed that up by firing general manager Tom Telesco on Thursday.

Telesco spent just one season as the Raiders' GM after previously serving as general manager of the Los Angeles Chargers from 2013 to 2023.

While Telesco was responsible for selecting First Team All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft and quality starting guard Jackson Powers-Johnson in the second round, he was unable to figure out the Raiders' quarterback situation.

The signing of veteran signal-caller Gardner Minshew did not pay off, nor did the decision to not take a quarterback in the 2024 draft.

Per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Brady will have a "significant voice" when it comes to the Raiders' next head coach and GM, as will Korn Ferry's Jed Hughes, who is a "well-known executive headhunter in the NFL" contracted by the Raiders to help with the search.

Prior to spending his final three seasons as an NFL player with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady played 20 seasons for the New England Patriots, and continuity was a big reason for the organization's success.

In addition to having the same starting quarterback for nearly two decades, the Patriots had the same owner in Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick. Several assistant coaches and front office people remained in place for much of that run as well.

Thanks in large part to that consistency, the Patriots won 16 AFC East titles and six Super Bowls during Brady's tenure.

It is unclear if Brady has anyone specific in mind for the head coaching and GM roles in Vegas, but it sounds as though he wants the hires to have collaborated together in the past, or to at least be comfortable with doing so moving forward.

Given that the Raiders and New York Jets are the only teams with an opening at both head coach and general manager, Vegas can offer a clean slate to prospective candidates, which is something only one other franchise is able to do.