As the coaching season is fully underway across the NFL, surprise names are beginning to come up as candidates for vacancies across the league. Sometimes these names can seem like no-brainers in hindsight, but often names that are quite confusing appear in coaching cycles. Typically, these come from franchises that can't get out of their own way.
One of the premier teams in the NFL that can't get out of its own way is the Las Vegas Raiders. Once the Raiders hire their next head coach, they will be paying a FIFTH head coaching salary, and that doesn't even factor in the fact that Chip Kelly, fired at mid-year for not really knowing the offense he was running, was the highest-paid offensive coordinator in NFL history.
The Raiders are in desperate need of stability, which they assumed they would get with Pete Carroll. They have submitted interview requests to some of the top names in the head coaching cycle, including Denver's Vance Joseph, but made one request that might be their worst coaching decision yet. If they go down this path, it would be a welcome surprise for the three other teams in the AFC West.
The Raiders hiring Matt Nagy would be the best case scenario for the rest of the AFC West
The Raiders have put in an interview request on former Bears head coach and current Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, and appear to be interested in him for their open gig. Nagy has presided over a steadily declining Chiefs offense over the past three seasons, and helped lead a Chiefs offense that kept them from the playoffs this year. In many ways, he directly correlates to their fall from grace.
Nagy's tenure with the Bears was off to a great start, but fell apart incredibly quickly. His final three years went to the tune of 22-37, including a brutal 6-11 season in 2021 that got him fired. His first year was a success at 12-4 and a playoff appearance (it was a legendarily embarrassing loss), but the final three years, which were fully into his system and roster management, were a disaster. After his initial season in 2018, nothing he has done would really scream that he is ready for a second chance at a head gig.
The Raiders can't afford to swing and miss on their next coaching candidate, and are desperately in need of someone who can help build their offense around what figures to be a trio of either Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore with Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers. If they whiff on this next hire, they could find themselves in a ditch that is impossible to pull themselves out of, and they will risk wasting an incredible offensive trio. Matt Nagy is a major risk, but it could work out great for the rest of the division.