Silver And Black Pride
How attractive is Las Vegas for potential head coaches?
Now that the Las Vegas Raiders have officially fired Antonio Pierce and will begin the offseason, let’s take a look and where the Raiders’ head coach opening ranks among the five other vacancies in the NFL. Factors considered are the quarterback situation, 2025 NFL Draft picks, salary cap space and roster.
Draft picks are via Tankathon and salary cap information is via Over The Cap.
QB: Drake Maye
Top 100 Draft Picks: 4, 38, 69, 77 (from ATL)
Salary Cap: $127.7 million (1st in NFL)
With how well Maye played this season and the Patriots having the most cap space in the league, New England should be an attractive destination for head coach candidates this offseason. Also, the team doesn’t have many notable impending free agents and has a couple of young, promising defensive players in Christian Gonzalez and Christian Barmore. The offensive line needs work but that’s where the cap space and fourth overall pick come in.
QB: Caleb Williams
Top 100 Draft Picks: 10, 39 (from CAR), 41, 72
Salary Cap: $80.1 million (5th in NFL)
Williams was far from perfect this fall, but he had moments where his talent and potential were obvious. The USC product was widely considered the top quarterback in last year’s draft, so an offensive-minded head coach would likely look forward to the opportunity to work with the 2024 No. 1 overall pick. Plus, Chicago has plenty of money to spend and a good defense led by Jaylon Johnson and Montez Sweat.
QB: Trevor Lawrence
Top 100 Draft Picks: 5, 36, 70, 92 (from MIN)
Salary Cap: $34.9 million (18th in NFL)
Another former No. 1 overall pick, Lawrence was good enough to earn a contract extension last offseason before struggling in 2024. However, like Williams, the former Pro Bowler’s talent should be enough to entice one of the top offensive-minded candidates this season. Also, Josh Allen-Hines is an elite edge defender to build the defense around, and the fifth overall pick should allow Jacksonville to land another young premier defender. The biggest issues with the Jags are the relative lack of cap space and having to work with general manager Trent Baalke, who many thought might get fired on ‘Black Monday’.
QB: Aidan O’Connell
Top 100 Draft Picks: 6, 37, 68, 73 (from NYJ)
Salary Cap: $107.3 million (2nd in NFL)
The Raiders’ biggest issue is they don’t have a clear starting quarterback or a clear path to get one. The cap space is nice and could help with that, but the best option on the open market will be Sam Darnold. Also, Las Vegas is in a tough spot to draft Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward—widely considered the top QBs in the draft class—by picking behind three teams who also could use a signal-caller. That said, the Raiders do have a decent roster along...
