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The Las Vegas Raiders made a very high-profile hire when they brought in Pete Carroll to be their new head coach this offseason. Since the hire was made, the Raiders have been hard at work filling out Carroll’s staff as they try to start this rebuild.
On Friday, the Raiders looked within their own division to try and get a key spot filled on their offensive staff. Las Vegas reached out to the Los Angeles Chargers to see if they could interview wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal to be their receivers coach and passing game coordinator, but the Chargers declined according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Obviously, the Chargers aren’t trying to do any favors for their AFC West rivals, but they also want to hold onto Lal. The Chargers hired him last offseason to come in and coach a group of receivers that Jim Harbaugh and company desperately needed to see improvement from, and they got just that.
Rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey immediately became a go-to option in this Chargers offense under Lal, and Los Angeles also saw massive improvements from former first-round pick Quentin Johnston in year two.
Lal has a long and successful history coaching receivers in the pros. He has had stints with the Jets, Bills, Cowboys, Seahawks, Colts and Jaguars, coaching star wideouts such as Amari Cooper, DK Metcalf and T.Y. Hilton in the process. He even has some familiarity with the Raiders organization, as he coached wide receivers in Oakland from 2009-11.
Given his history, it’s understandable why the Raiders would want to talk to Lal about the opening and it also makes sense why the Chargers would not want him to leave. Not only do the Chargers not want to lose Lal, but they don’t want to have to play against him twice a year either.
It remains to be seen whether the Raiders will still be able to get their hands on Lal to join the offensive staff that doesn’t have a coordinator yet, although Darrell Bevell looks like the favorite for that spot.
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