Apparently Monday night's loss to the Detroit Lions was the last straw. A little over 24 hours after that setback, the Las Vegas Raiders fired head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler. So another reset is coming for a franchise that has become one of the worst-run in the league under Mark Davis' ownership.
Linebackers coach Antonio Pierce will be the Raiders' interim head coach for the rest of the season, and he's a candidate for the permanent gig. But a wide search for a new head coach is coming, and Lions' offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is an easy candidate to tab for any upcoming head coaching opening.
On Wednesday's episode of "The Insiders", NFL Network's Ian Rapoport mentioned Lions' defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as a candidate for the Raiders' head coaching job. It makes a lot of sense, should the Raiders have interest.
If Ben Johnson or Aaron Glenn leaves Lions for a head coaching job after the season, here's why it won't be the Raiders
Johnson notably took himself out of the running for head coaching jobs during last year's hiring cycle, before getting to his interview with the Carolina Panthers. He naturally got a healthy raise to stay with the Lions, but Johnson has consistently professed other good reasons why he chose to stay. Namely what's being built in Detroit, and his relationship with Jared Goff. It's also fair to say last year's job openings (Panthers, Broncos, Cardinals, Texans, etc.) weren't very appealing.
Glenn has gotten head coaching interviews after each of the last two seasons. It also, like Johnson, feels like it's a matter of time before he leaves the Lions for a head coaching job.
Among the head coaching openings there will or might be after this season, the Raiders don't look appealing.
Apart from whoever the next general manager is and being the hire that new lead executive makes, taking the Raiders' job means working for Mark Davis. He means well, but he's in the conversation among the worst owners in pro sports. The issues for the franchise start there, with the man at the top of the food chain, and they're not going away until he is no longer the owner.
Yes, being a head coach is appealing and there's only 32 of those jobs in the NFL. The paycheck it comes with, even after you're fired or if you're fired early in your tenure, is nice too. But Johnson and Glenn should have options other than the Raiders after the season, if they even entertain those options and consider leaving Detroit for a head coaching job.
The Raiders should have interest in both Lions' coordinators for their head coaching job. The question is if they will, and even then it's a long way from Johnson and/or Glenn taking an interview to taking the job if it's offered.
Being an agent of change is an appealing idea for coaches. But Johnson and Glenn surely know how others have failed with the Raiders, and they'll happily avoid the headache as options for their first head coaching job surface again after the season.