Sportsnaut
Eight NFL teams are searching for their next head coach, including the Las Vegas Raiders. Two years ago, they went the inexperienced route, hoping former NFL linebacker Antonio Pierce could emerge as a standout hire. Instead, Pierce, who had no previous head coaching experience above the high school level, went just 9-17.
This last year, the Raiders took the opposite approach, hiring the most experienced candidate available, in former Super Bowl winner Pete Carroll. He finished with one fewer win than Pierce did in his final season. So, where do the Raiders turn next? How about college football?
While the Raiders have assembled a long list of coaching candidates, they’ve now requested to interview Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. The former Boston College head coach has only been in Green Bay for two seasons, but he’s done an excellent job with their defense and is now viewed as one of the top candidates in this year’s hiring cycle.
Hafley has something many other candidates don’t, and that’s previous head coaching experience, even if it wasn’t at the NFL level. Still, Hafley’s respectable 22-26 + a bowl win in his four seasons leading the BC Eagles works in his favor.
It also doesn’t hurt that the Packers ranked sixth in points allowed last year and 11th this year too. Of course, the Raiders are not the only team that wants to sit down with Hafley. The Packers’ defensive coordinator has also received requests to interview for the head coaching vacancies with the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, and Tennessee Titans.
Related: ‘Top-Tier’ College Coaching Candidate Still Linked to NFL Vacancies
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