The Las Vegas Raiders are not exactly known for making the best decisions, so this might not come as too much of a shock. Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has been a popular name during this year's head coaching cycle, but the Broncos' blowout loss to the Bills on Sunday might cool some teams from nabbing him to be their head coach.
However, in perfect Raider fashion, the team saw Joseph's defense allow 38 points and promptly requested to interview him for their open head coaching job, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Broncos could lose DC Vance Joseph to division rival Raiders
Joseph has already had interview requests from the Jets and the Bears and still could find his way into other coaching searches as time goes on. The former Broncos head coach has been one of the better defensive coordinators in football, has been a major force behind the talent development of several Broncos, and his unit is arguably the biggest reason why Denver broke their eight-season playoff drought.
Joseph has now spent two seasons under Sean Payton and worked under Kliff Kingsbury during the duration of his tenure in Arizona. Needless to say, he has more than enough experience with completely running an NFL defense, and his time under Payton has hopefully helped him grow as a coach and will help him avoid some mistakes from his first time around.
Despite all of that, it is hard to imagine a worse fit for both Joseph and the Raiders than this potential pairing. The Raiders are coming off a horrible season and fired first-year defensive head coach Antonio Pierce, not even a calendar year after Raiders players were begging for him to be hired, highlighted by Maxx Crosby's trade request ultimatum. Joseph will make a great head coach his next time around, but stepping into a team with a disastrous offense outside of Brock Bowers is a rough hand for a defensive coach.
Their wins over Jacksonville and New Orleans in the final three weeks took them out of the range to draft either Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders to quarterback, and an incredibly weak quarterbacking class likely leaves them with Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell again next year. It would not make sense for Joseph to take a job that will be on its fourth head coach in three years, two of whom have been fired after less than two full seasons.
Joseph should be selective about his next gig, as returning to Denver to run it back with one of the NFL's best defensive units isn't a bad option. If he were to take the Raiders job, it might not be long before he finds himself in another coordinator position, considering how little patience coaches in Vegas seem to get.