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Las Vegas Raiders News & Rumors

AFC West Notes: Raiders, Bolts, Broncos, Nix

February 4th, 2025 at 6:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

The brain drain in Denver continues. Losing high-ranking exec Darren Mougey to the Jets, the Broncos have also seen two Sean Payton staffers (John Morton, Declan Doyle) become OCs elsewhere — Detroit, Chicago. They will now see one of their front office staffers join a division rival. The Raiders hired Mark Thewes as their senior VP of football operations Tuesday. Thewes, 48, will reunite with John Spytek, his coworker in Denver during part of the 2010s. Coming to the Broncos back when Josh McDaniels was hired as HC, Thewes lasted through several regimes, joining Mougey in that regard. Despite McDaniels’ quick dismissal, the Broncos retained his former high school teammate. McDaniels’ quick Las Vegas ouster notwithstanding, he will join Spytek, Tom Brady and Pete Carroll among the Raiders’ bigwigs.

Thewes follows David Shaw out of Denver’s front office; Shaw is returning to coaching, being set to join Morton in Detroit. Here is the latest from the AFC West:

  • The Raiders are retaining DC Patrick Graham and D-line coach Rob Leonard, but offensive staffers are departing. Running backs coach Cadillac Williams, wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett and assistant QBs coach Fred Walker are out, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. Additionally, linebackers coach Mike Caldwell and cornerbacks coach Ricky Manning Jr. will not be back. This comes a year after the Jaguars fired Caldwell as DC. Williams joined the Raiders’ staff last year, while Bennett’s tenure stretched back to Jon Gruden‘s 2018 return. Formerly the Packers’ OC, the ex-NFL running back coached Raiders receivers under Gruden, McDaniels and Antonio Pierce. He has been an NFL staffer since 2005. Caldwell was part of the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl-winning staff, overlapping with Brady and Spytek, making it a bit more interesting he will not be asked back.
  • Las Vegas had a name in mind to replace Bennett, but a division rival will not allow it. The Chargers blocked a Raiders request to meet with Sanjay Lal, Fowler adds. Jim Harbaugh hired Lal as his WRs coach last year, and the team is intent on keeping the veteran position coach. Lal was on Carroll’s staff as an offensive assistant in 2020; because he is still under contract with the Bolts, they can block any lateral move.
  • Elsewhere on the Chargers’ staff, they will lose safeties coach Chris O’Leary to the college ranks. Western Michigan is hiring O’Leary as its DC, ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel reports. O’Leary had been safeties coach at Notre Dame from 2021-23.
  • Bo Nix passed on a Pro Bowl Games invite, as an alternate, due to a cleanup procedure, 9News’ Mike Klis notes. It is not known what issue this operation will address, but it does not appear Nix is in much danger of missing the Broncos‘ offseason program. Nix played through a transverse process fracture in his back during the season. Any type of back surgery would certainly be notable for the impressive rookie QB, so it will be interesting to learn what exactly will be addressed via this cleanup.
  • Asante Samuel Jr. missed 13 games this season, slowing his momentum in a contract year. Samuel said he dealt with “stinger symptoms,” via The Athletic’s Daniel Popper (subscription required). The second-generation NFL corner said he has dealt with these symptoms throughout his career, and a flareup occurred during a practice before Week 1. Another issue cropped up before Week 6, leading to the shutdown. Samuel said he should be fine for offseason work, though it is not certain where that work will be. Playing outside and in the slot for Los Angeles, Samuel said he wants to re-sign. The 47-game Chargers starter joins Kristian Fulton in being a free agent-to-be at CB from this secondary.

Raiders Interested In QB Marcus Mariota?

February 4th, 2025 at 3:13pm CST by Adam La Rose

Quarterback will again be a position to watch closely this offseason for the Raiders. With the much of the team’s new coaching staff in place, one veteran name has emerged as a free agent option.

“There could be a little bit of interest in Marcus Mariota between the Raiders and Dolphins,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said during a Pat McAfee Show appearance (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). “He’s gonna have some choices this offseason.”

Mariota’s relationship with Tua Tagovailoa is a factor which could make him a Dolphins target. Miami is aiming to acquire a high-floor backup, and the 31-year-old would meet that criteria. Mariota has 93 appearances and 74 starts to his name, although his last run of first-team action came with the Falcons in 2022.

In the event he were to return to the Raiders (after playing there from 2020-21) , the Oregon product could be an option to compete for bridge starter duties depending on how the team operates in the draft. A Vegas deal would represent a reunion with Chip Kelly, who coached Mariota in 2012 and is now back in the NFL as the Raiders’ offensive coordinator. The team will of course have other options to consider, though.

With the second-most projected 2025 cap space in the league, the Raiders will have the wherewithal to win a potential bidding war for the top passers in this year’s free agent class. Sam Darnold is therefore a name to watch, as is Russell Wilson since he and head coach Pete Carroll are once again on good terms. Vegas currently holds the No. 6 pick in April’s draft, which may put the team in range for a first-round QB.

Even if a young passer is added on Day 1 of the draft (or later), Mariota could be signed as competition or a veteran capable of handling QB1 duties while a rookie develops. As things stand, Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell are in place for the Raiders; the new regime led by Carroll and general manager John Spytek could very well make one or more changes to that room over the coming months, however.

Raiders Hire Greg Olson As QBs Coach

February 3rd, 2025 at 9:58pm CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders may not know who will be leading their QB depth chart in 2025, but the team now knows who will be coaching the position. According to Michael Silver of The Athletic, the Raiders have hired Greg Olson as their new quarterbacks coach.

[RELATED: Raiders Hire Chip Kelly As OC]

This is a bit of a homecoming for Olson, who has already had two previous stints with the organization. He was Oakland’s offensive coordinator for the 2013 and 2014 campaigns, with the Raiders struggling in both seasons. After effectively finishing that latter year as the NFL’s worst offense, the Raiders fired Olson.

The coach later had a four-year stint as the Raiders offensive coordinator between 2018 and 2021. The team’s best season under Olson came during their first year in Las Vegas, when the Raiders ranked eighth in yards and 10th in points. Otherwise, the Raiders rarely ranked in the top-half of the league in either category during Olson’s stint, and he wasn’t kept on the staff once Josh McDaniels took over. The veteran coach spent a year with the Rams before spending the 2023 campaign as the Seahawks’ QBs coach.

Olson has a long resume that dates back to the late 1980s. He got his first OC job with the Lions in 2005, and he’s held that same title with the Rams, Buccaneers, and Jaguars. He’s only twice guided a definitive top-1o offense: that aforementioned Raiders unit in 2020, and the Steven Jackson-led Rams in 2006.

Still, he’s shown an ability to get more than expected from some unheralded QBs, and he may be faced with a similar situation in 2025. Working alongside new OC Chip Kelly, Olson could be asked to squeeze what he can out of an uncertain QB depth chart. The team could stick with incumbents like Aidan O’Connell and/or Gardner Minshew, and the Raiders have also been connected to vets (like Russell Wilson) and prospects (primarily Shedeur Sanders).

Raiders To Hire Brennan Carroll As OL Coach

February 3rd, 2025 at 3:59pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Raiders are hiring University of Washington offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll to be their offensive line coach and run-game coordinator, as first reported by Yogi Roth of the Big Ten Network and confirmed by ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.

Brennan Carroll is the son of Pete Carroll, the Raiders’ new head coach. Brennan previously coached under his father at USC and with the Seahawks, holding the titles of assistant offensive line coach (2015-2019) and run game coordinator (2020) in Seattle. He left the Seahawks to take over as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at the University of Arizona, where he stayed for three seasons before accepting a similar position with the Huskies.

Carroll’s departure will continue multiple offseasons of turnover for the Washington football program. In 2024, head coach Kalen DeBoer was tapped to replace Nick Saban at Alabama, while offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb took the same job with the Seahawks. The Huskies then hired Jedd Fisch away from Arizona to replace DeBoer. Fisch brought Carroll with him to Washington as OC and installed Steve Belichick as defensive coordinator. Interestingly, both Carroll and Belichick left the Huskies this year to take jobs on their father’s new staffs: Carroll in Las Vegas, and Belichick in North Carolina.

Huskies quarterbacks coach Jimmie Dougherty also received interest from multiple NFL teams in this hiring cycle, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, but he opted to take a promotion to offensive coordinator to stay in Washington.

In Las Vegas, Carroll will go to work improving on the NFL’s worst rushing attack in 2024. The Raiders finished with just 1,357 rushing yards and 3.6 yards per attempt, both league-lows by a significant margin. Getting more talent in the backfield beyond Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abdullah will be a priority this offseason, but the offensive line is in good shape. Kolton Miller put up another solid season at left tackle, while rookies Jackson Powers-Johnson and DJ Glaze emerged as reliable starters. The unit can still get better, but combined with Andre James and Dylan Parham, the Raiders have a decent starting five heading into next season, especially if they can further develop their younger linemen.

Raiders Hire Chip Kelly As OC

February 2nd, 2025 at 10:01pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

10:01pm: Kelly is leaving Columbus for a historic coordinator sum. As the team told candidates it was prepared to make a “serious” cash infusion with help from its new ownership pieces, SI.com’s Albert Breer reports Kelly will become the NFL’s highest-paid coordinator — on a salary of $6MM per year. This price triples what Kelly was earning at Ohio State, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler adds.

An AAV higher than $5MM has not previously been mentioned for coordinators, as the Buccaneers were prepared to venture toward the $4.5MM-per-year number to retain Liam Coen. Kelly has been out of the NFL for the past eight seasons; his return will bring a stunning salary.

4:36pm: The Raiders are continuing to add to new head coach Pete Carroll‘s staff, hiring longtime college and NFL coach Chip Kelly to be their next offensive coordinator, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Kelly recently won a national championship as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator after a six-year stint as UCLA’s head coach. His last NFL job was as head coach for the 49ers in 2016, though he lasted just one season after a 2-14 finish. Before that, he spent three years as the Eagles’ head coach.

Carroll seems to be prioritizing experience for his new staff. He already retained defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and is now adding the 61-year-old Kelly, who is entering his 35th season as a coach between the NFL and college levels. Kelly also was closely tied to the Raiders last year, when he interviewed twice to be Antonio Pierce‘s OC. Luke Getsy wound up with the job Kliff Kingsbury declined, but a Tom Brady-led housecleaning brought Kelly back into the Vegas mix.

The two veteran coaches have spent time as rivals, both in the Pac-12 and the NFC West. Kelly’s time at Oregon overlapped with Carroll’s tenure as USC’s head coach, and the two also coached against each other in 2016 when Carroll was the Seahawks’ head coach. The 49ers lost both games to the Seahawks in 2016, but Kelly’s Oregon squad upset Carroll’s No. 5 USC in 2009.

Kelly will have his work cut out for him in Las Vegas. The Raiders finished 27th in points and 29th in yards last season, due in no small part to an unstable quarterback situation and the midseason departure of Davante Adams. 2024 first-round pick Brock Bowers quickly established himself as one of the league’s best tight ends, but the rest of the Raiders offense lacks high-end talent.

Kelly’s first order of business will be finding a new quarterback. Gardner Minshew is still under contract for the 2025 season, but will be coming off a season-ending broken collarbone suffered in October. Even when healthy, though, Minshew struggled, making it clear that he is not the future of the franchise. With the second-most cap space in the NFL as well as the sixth overall pick in April’s draft, Las Vegas has the resources to substantially improve their quarterback situation this offseason.

Prior to this Kelly hire, it was looking like a Carroll-Darrell Bevell reunion was close. The Raiders had interviewed Carroll’s former Seahawks OC, and after an initial offering suggesting the veteran assistant was the lead candidate to end up as Las Vegas’ play-caller, a Saturday report did not disrupt that. Despite Kelly only being linked to the Jaguars and Texans in this year’s cycle, he will have a big opportunity to help Carroll’s Raiders stabilization effort take shape. Bevell remains on the Dolphins’ staff as quarterbacks coach.

Although Kelly flamed out in Philadelphia after an eventful 2015 in which Jeffrey Lurie gave him personnel power by demoting GM Howie Roseman, he posted two winning seasons with the team prior to that seminal setback. The Eagles won the NFC East in 2013, and they went 10-6 in 2014, doing so despite a season-ending Nick Foles injury. Kelly went 6-9 before being fired after Week 16 during the 2015 season. His immediate 49ers hire continued the NFC West franchise’s mid-2010s descent, and Kelly ended up at UCLA two years later.

OC interest formed for Kelly last year, but he opted to leave a head coaching post — as the NIL and transfer portal components have wreaked havoc on the college game — for a coordinator gig in Columbus. That turned out to pay dividends, as Ohio State stormed back from a Michigan loss to close the regular season en route to a national title.

Kelly’s move to the NFL from the Buckeyes will also stir speculation about the Raiders’ draft plans. Kelly may want to target some of his former players, especially on the offensive side of the ball. That list could include projected first-rounders offensive tackle Josh Simmons and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, as well as quarterback Will Howard and running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins on Day 2. Kelly will have significantly more information and familiarity – along with a proven track record of success – with those players than any other NFL team.

With Kelly hired, the Raiders can now fill out the rest of their offensive staff. He may want to bring some assistants with him from Ohio State, though some of the current coaches in Las Vegas could be retained as well.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Raiders Rumors: Telesco, Davis, Brady, Pierce, Carroll, Belichick, Leonard

February 2nd, 2025 at 9:45pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

After a playoff win drought of more than 20 years, Raiders owner Mark Davis was hoping that adding Tom Brady to the ownership group would result in a transformative offseason.

Indeed, Brady was a key voice in the Raiders’ decisions to fire head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco, as well as the team’s subsequent search processes to fill both positions, per The Athletic’s Tashan Reed. Las Vegas ultimately hired Pete Carroll as head coach and John Spytek as general manager, but Brady will continue to play a role in football operations.

[RELATED: Raiders To Hire Chip Kelly As OC]

Davis praised Pierce’s locker room leadership, but finishing in last place in the AFC West for the first time since 2018 was too much for the 46-year-old coach to overcome. “We just felt it was time for a change,” said Davis (via Reed).

Davis was satisfied with Telesco’s 2024 draft class, which featured star tight end Brock Bowers in the first round and starting offensive linemen Jackson Powers-Johnson and Delmar Glaze on Day 2. However, Davis hinted that he was disappointed with Telesco’s free agency signings in the offseason, which included a massive four-year, $110MM contract for defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.

Wilkins played in just five games with two sacks before suffering a Jones fracture in his foot that would require season-ending surgery. The Raiders’ other major signing, quarterback Gardner Minshew, similarly failed to live up to his two-year, $25MM deal. He posted a passer rating of 81.0 before a broken collarbone ended his season. Pierce had benched Minshew on multiple occasions prior to that injury, effectively ensuring the veteran QB would not be back in 2025.

The list goes on: Alexander Mattison (one year, $2MM) averaged just 3.2 yards per carry, while veteran offensive linemen Cody Whitehair (one year, $2.5MM) and Andrus Peat (one year, $2MM) combined for just four starts. Wide receiver signings Michael Gallup (one year, $1.75MM) and Jalen Guyton (one year, $1.29MM) were not on the team’s 53-man roster by the time the regular season started.

Telesco choosing Bowers, who went on to break Mike Ditka‘s 63-year-old record for rookie tight end yardage, only to be fired after one season does seem a bit hasty. At the time of the ouster, it was reported Brady and Davis decided to start fresh to align the team’s next HC and GM. Telesco has been fired twice in 13 months, after seeing a 63-21 Raiders demolition over the Chargers end his stay in Los Angeles. Telesco and Pierce butted heads on the quarterback issue, which effectively went unaddressed — as far as the big picture is concerned — much to the coach’s chagrin.

As Davis did in December, Carroll confirmed Brady will have a significant role in helping the Raiders identify a quarterback. Viewed by most as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, Brady is now operating in a historically unusual dual role — lead FOX announcer and Raiders part-owner/personnel exec. Brady, 47, is not leaving FOX after this season; the 23-year veteran QB will try to balance these roles moving forward.

“We happen to have the greatest of all time to help us,” Carroll said, via Reed and The Athletic colleague Vic Tafur. “And we’re going to lean on Tom as much as we possibly can. Because nobody has the insights that he has.”

Davis had eyed Brady to fill a football ops role after Jon Gruden “had his head chopped off,” referring to the latter’s forced resignation in light of the problematic emails that surfaced in 2021 as part of the NFL’s Dan Snyder investigation. Gruden remains embroiled in a lawsuit against the NFL, while Brady and ex-college teammate and Buccaneers coworker Spytek will work together to help rebuild the Raiders.

The Raiders were briefly connected to Bill Belichick to team with Brady, but those rumors did not get far off the ground. Belichick signed his North Carolina contract, and while the $10MM buyout is not believed to have proved to be much of an issue for NFL teams, six jobs are now gone. One going to Carroll, who is seven months older than Belichick, may not be sitting too well with an eight-time Super Bowl winner who passed on a second NFL carousel ride to preemptively enter the college ranks. Talk in NFL circles pointed to Belichick not being pleased about the Raiders hiring Carroll, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio writes.

While the Raiders moving the bar for oldest head coach ever hired (by seven years) could reopen the door for Belichick, his passing on an aggressive NFL push now will still make matters difficult if he decides to do so in 2026. Belichick would turn 74 before Week 1 of the ’26 season. Carroll is in place as a short-term Raiders fix; it will be interesting to see how Belichick fares in a similar role in Chapel Hill.

Carroll already retained Patrick Graham as DC, and he will keep Rob Leonard in place as D-line coach, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo adds. The Raiders interviewed Leonard for the DC post, and they are adding an additional title — that of run-game coordinator — to his duties for the 2025 season. Leonard has previously coached with the Giants, Dolphins and Ravens.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post

Commanders Block Jets From David Blough Interview; New York Adds Scott Turner, Eric Washington To Staff

February 2nd, 2025 at 8:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

Former coordinators and those on the coordinator interview circuit will line Aaron Glenn‘s first Jets coaching staff. The team has now added two ex-coordinators to Glenn’s staff, with three other additions having received interest on the coordinator level.

Scott Turner is joining the Jets as their pass-game coordinator, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. Turner closed the season as the Raiders’ interim OC and had previously called plays for the Panthers and Commanders. Glenn is also bringing 2024 Bears DC Eric Washington on as his defensive line coach, CBS Sports Jonathan Jones adds. The Bears moved on from Washington last month.

The Jets are also following through with the rumored Glenn-Chris Harris partnership, with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter noting the veteran assistant is heading to New York as Gang Green’s defensive pass-game coordinator and DBs coach. Harris had spent the past two seasons with the Titans. Charles London is also moving from Seahawks QBs coach to the same position with the Jets, Pelissero adds. London worked with Harris on the 2023 Titans staff. A recent report indicated the Titans and Harris were expected to separate.

London is heading to New York after the Jets did not receive permission to meet with David Blough. They had reached out to the Commanders about interviewing their assistant QBs coach, but Pelissero indicates the NFC East club blocked the meeting. Clubs are allowed to block contracted assistants, so long as the interview does not pertain to move up to a coordinator or HC post. Blough, who only ended his playing career after the 2023 season, overlapped with Glenn and new Lions OC Tanner Engstrand in Detroit. The Bears and Jaguars also expressed interest in meeting with him, but the Commanders are prepared to keep him for the 2025 season.

Staying on the subject of blocked interviews, the Jets made such a move as well. They are keeping wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson, SNY’s Connor Hughes adds, pointing out the team blocked other clubs from meetings. A former NFL wideout, Jefferson has enjoyed two tours of duty with the Jets (under Adam Gase from 2019-20 and again last season). He also was a Glenn divisional opponent from 1996-99, as the two would match up as members of the Jets and Patriots. Twice a Super Bowl starter, Jefferson has been a wideouts coach since 2007.

Glenn and Turner have not overlapped, but the latter will be a veteran voice in Engstrand’s first OC season. Turner had come up about possibly joining Bill Belichick‘s North Carolina staff but later emerged on Gang Green’s radar. The second-generation NFL coach will stay in the league as part of the Jets’ staff. Turner served as interim Panthers OC in 2019 and then spent three seasons as Washington’s OC. Ron Rivera fired Turner in 2023, leading the latter to the Raiders as pass-game coordinator. Antonio Pierce bumped him to OC after firing Luke Getsy midseason. Turner has yet to oversee a top-16 offense, but he has 13 years’ experience in the pros.

Washington will return to the AFC East, after his Bears stopover; he previously spent four seasons as Sean McDermott’s D-line coach in Buffalo. Washington did not shift to the play-caller in Chicago until after Matt Eberflus‘ Black Friday firing. The Bears did rank 13th in scoring defense this past season, and Washington also helmed the Panthers’ defense under Rivera from 2018-19. Washington and new Jets DC Steve Wilks were longtime staffers under Rivera with Carolina.

A running backs coach from 2014-20, London transitioned to QBs with the Falcons and has since overseen the position with the Titans and Seahawks. London interviewed with the Commanders to replace Turner in 2023, also meeting with the Titans that year, and met about the Browns’ vacancy last month. He spoke with the Rams about their OC job in 2022. Harris worked with Turner under Rivera for three seasons in Washington but moved to Tennessee in 2023. He has come up for a few DC openings, including the Jets’ this year.

Closing out this sizable Jets staff update, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets they are adding Aaron Curry as their linebackers coach. A former top-five pick, Curry did not pan out as a player. But he has been rising up the assistant ranks in recent years. After a Seahawks stint, the ex-Seattle draftee spent the past two seasons as the Steelers’ inside linebackers coach.

Raiders Interview Jerrod Johnson; Darrell Bevell Seen As OC Frontrunner

February 1st, 2025 at 6:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

This week has seen many coordinator dominoes fall around the NFL. The Raiders are among the teams still in need of an OC hire, though, and their search on that front continues.

[RELATED: Raiders Retain Patrick Graham As DC]

Vegas has interviewed Jerrod Johnson for the offensive coordinator vacancy, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports. That marks the third opening Houston’s quarterbacks coach has been connected to for this year’s hiring cycle. The meeting represents the fourth time a candidate has been linked to the Raiders’ opening, although only the second to take part in a known interview.

Johnson has been a full-time NFL coach since 2020, having previously spent time with the Colts and Vikings. He was part of DeMeco Ryans’ initial Texans staff, and he continued in his role as QBs coach this past season. The 35-year-old has a relationship with C.J. Stroud predating their time together in Houston, a factor which helps make him a logical internal replacement candidate for the Texans. Johnson recently interviewed for Bobby Slowik’s former position, while the Jets were also named as a potential landing spot (although they have since hired Tanner Engstrand as their OC).

While Johnson has received consideration for the Vegas gig, he does not appear to be in pole position. Darrell Bevell is expected to be the eventual Raiders hire in this case, per KRPC2’s Aaron Wilson. That update comes as no surprise considering Bevell’s history with head coach Pete Carroll. The two worked together from 2011-17 with the Seahawks, the second of four NFL teams Bevell has served as an OC for. The 55-year-old has spent the past three seasons as the Dolphins’ QBs coach and pass-game coordinator.

Shortly after Bevell’s name surfaced as a strong contender, the Raiders interviewed him. A fifth OC opportunity could soon await him as a result, although as Wilson notes the team’s search is still active. It will be interesting to see if Johnson draws strong interest from Vegas with a Houston promotion still possible as things stand. In any case, the Raiders could still expand their list of candidates during the waning stages of the hiring cycle.

Via PFR’s OC/DC Tracker, here is an updated look at where things stand with the Raiders:

Matt Capurro To Depart Seahawks, Rejoin Raiders

January 31st, 2025 at 12:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

Pete Carroll‘s first Raiders staff is taking shape. To no surprise, a familiar face will be joining him in Vegas for 2025.

[RELATED: Carroll, GM John Spytek To Share Authority With Raiders]

VP of coaching operations Matt Capurro is departing the Seahawks to join Carroll and the Raiders, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reports. He has a history with Caroll dating back to their time spent together at USC and, later, Seattle. His Seahawks tenure reached its 15th season in 2024, so his absence will be notable.

Capurro’s tenure in the NFL also includes time with Al Davis and the Raiders. He was in Oakland from 2003-08, so he will be no stranger to Carroll or the organization. It will be interesting to see what kind of role Capurro takes on in Vegas, but for the past three years in Seattle he oversaw a number of day-to-day operations as a key figure on the team’s coaching staff. It would come as no surprise if he found himself in a similar capacity with the Raiders.

Carroll took a three-year deal to return to an NFL sideline; the team has an option for a fourth season. The strength of the AFC West has tempered expectations for the Raiders regarding their 2025 outlook, but a notable quarterback addition this offseason could of course change things. Patrick Graham will remain in place for a fourth season as defensive coordinator, while former Carroll colleague Darrell Bevell is the favorite to land the Raiders’ OC gig. Tom Cable could be in line for a Carroll reunion (and third stint with the organization), so plenty of familiar faces could be in place once next season begins.

In other Vegas coaching news, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports John Glenn is being hired as linebackers coach. Glenn served in that capacity for six years under Carroll with the Seahawks before working as an assistant special teams coach with the Commanders in 2024. He will now head to Vegas as Carroll continues to assemble his initial Raiders staff with coaches he has a history with.

Coaching Rumors: Moore, Saints, Rizzi, Cowboys, Bears, Jets, Panthers, Hill, Raiders

January 30th, 2025 at 4:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Mike McCarthy following Joe Brady and Kliff Kingsbury out of the Saints HC pursuit, Kellen Moore looms as the presumptive favorite. While SI.com’s Albert Breer agrees with that classification, he does not view Darren Rizzi as being out of the running. Rizzi interviewed for the position, though Mike Kafka and Anthony Weaver have conducted two interviews. Seeing the Saints lose some bigger names could influence them to revisit Rizzi as a viable candidate. While this would be an unorthodox move — both due to Rizzi’s interim status and background in special teams — it is fairly clear the New Orleans job is not viewed as particularly attractive right now.

If Rizzi does not land the job, a reunion with Sean Payton in Denver may await. Here is the latest out of the coaching ranks:

  • The Jets hired Steve Wilks over Chris Harris for their DC post, but CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes that the latter should not be discounted from coming to New York as well. Harris has been a regular on the DC carousel in recent years, Harris stayed with the Titans despite the team firing Mike Vrabel. A role similar to what he holds in Tennessee, that of pass-game coordinator, could await in New York.
  • Former Chargers DC Renaldo Hill is signing on with the Panthers, according to The Athletic’s Joe Person. This will mark a return to the league after a year off for the former NFL safety; he had previously worked as the Dolphins’ defensive pass-game coordinator under Vic Fangio. Although Person notes the Panthers have a safeties job available, Hill’s title is not known. Carolina is also adding Rams assistant AC Carter as their OLBs coach, the Charlotte Observer’s Mike Kaye adds. Carter has been the Rams’ assistant D-line coach for the past two years. He made his NFL debut as a Broncos quality control staffer under Ejiro Evero in 2022.
  • The Bears spoke with Lunda Wells about a job recently, but the Cowboys are keeping him. Dallas has reached an extension to retain its tight ends coach, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. We heard earlier this week Brian Schottenheimer would likely keep Wells, who came over along with McCarthy in 2020.
  • Elsewhere on the Chicago staff, the team interviewed Ohio State assistant Justin Frye for its O-line coach position, per the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs. Frye has only worked at the college level, topping out as UCLA’s OC under Chip Kelly. The former Bruins HC rejoined his ex-assistant at Ohio State last year; Frye has been coaching Buckeyes blockers since 2022, collecting a national championship ring this past season. Tulane O-line coach Dan Roushar is also expected to interview, Biggs adds. Roushar spent 10 seasons with the Saints (2013-22), before making an in-state move back to the college level.
  • On the defensive side, the Bears are also making a move. Ben Johnson is adding Birmingham Stallions assistant Bill Johnson as his D-line coach, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Johnson, 69, served as both an O-line and D-line coach with the USFL-then-UFL franchise. He has been out of the NFL since 2018, when he served as Rams D-line coach. He was on LSU’s national championship-winning staff in the same role a year later. Bill Johnson’s longest NFL stay came with New Orleans (2009-16), but he has nearly 20 years’ experience in the league.
  • The Raiders made news Wednesday night by agreeing to keep Patrick Graham as DC; Pete Carroll will be Graham’s third HC in Las Vegas. More continuity is coming for a new regime still, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adding the team is retaining special teams coordinator Tom McMahon. In coaching for more than 30 years, McMahon has served as ST coordinator for the Rams, Chiefs, Colts, Broncos and Raiders; he has been in Vegas since 2022.
  • Northern Illinois HC Thomas Hammock is generating some looks from the NFL. At least three teams have reached out about a potential position coach role, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Hammock has been the Northern Illinois leader since 2019 but previously enjoyed a stint as Ravens RBs coach. The Huskies picked up a signature win last season by upsetting Notre Dame.
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