The Raiders have requested and received permission to interview Rams assistant head coach/pass-game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant for their defensive coordinator job, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Pleasant will meet with the Raiders today.
With the Cardinals deciding to retain defensive coordinator Nick Rallis, there are only three DC openings left in the NFL. The Patriots and Browns have the other vacancies. While New England is expected to promote 2025 play-caller Zak Kuhr from inside linebackers coach, Pleasant is a candidate to wind up in Cleveland. He’d face the tall task of replacing Jim Schwartz on first-year head coach Todd Monken‘s staff.
Patrick Graham was the Raiders’ DC for the past four seasons, but the Steelers hired him for the same post on Jan. 30. The Raiders have since picked a new head coach in former Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who knows Pleasant well from their time as former NFC West adversaries.
Kubiak was the 49ers’ offensive pass-game coordinator in 2023, the same year the division-rival Rams brought in Pleasant. The teams split their two matchups that season. While Kubiak left the division to run the Saints’ offense in 2024, he did face the Rams again in a 21-14 loss.
Kubiak returned to the NFC West last season to take on Pleasant and the Rams in three crucial matchups. The Seahawks picked up two wins, including a 31-27 triumph in the NFC title game. After the Seahawks cruised to a 29-13 win over the Patriots in Super Bowl LX last Sunday, Kubiak officially joined the Raiders. He’s now behind the 8-ball in scrambling to fill his coaching staff in mid-February, but Pleasant could be a strong pickup during the late stage of the coordinator hiring cycle.
Pleasant has no experience running a defense, though he has garnered significant experience as a coach since he began as an intern with the Browns in 2013. He has also served as an assistant with Washington, Detroit and Green Bay. Several teams have interviewed Pleasant for DC gigs since 2022, and this could be the offseason he finally lands one of those jobs.
Whether the Raiders hire Pleasant or someone else, trade rumors centering on their best defensive player, Maxx Crosby, are likely to persist. Thanks in part to a fifth straight Pro Bowl effort from Crosby, the Raiders ranked a respectable 14th in total defense in 2025. Trading the pass-rushing star wouldn’t do their next defensive coordinator any favors, but the Raiders may bite if another team makes a massive offer.
Hire him if you can’t get Schwartz for a 9th round pick