Analysis: Ben Johnson would be a spectacular hire for the Raiders

When the Raiders’ head-coaching occupation opened successful the mediate of the 2023-2024 season, I wrote that determination was lone spot to commencement the hunt for the fired Josh McDaniels’ successor — in Detroit with Lions violative coordinator Ben Johnson.

I didn’t notation Johnson successful thing much than passing erstwhile the Raiders’ occupation again became vacant earlier this month, and not for fearfulness of repetitiveness.

It was due to the fact that I didn’t deliberation Las Vegas had a realistic changeable astatine wooing Johnson, who has lone grown much successful request implicit the past twelvemonth and a half.

The 38-year-old North Carolina autochthonal has amazed the NFL satellite by passing connected a fistful of head-coaching opportunities implicit the past 2 offseasons to stay with the Lions. My — and galore others’ — thought was, wherefore would the Raiders beryllium the squad helium yet chooses to perpetrate to?

The wide cognition was that the organization’s negatives — a pugnacious division, nary semipermanent reply astatine backmost and caller dysfunction — would acold outweigh the positives — a young roster, ample headdress abstraction and world-class installation — for top-level coaching candidates.

That’s opening to look wrong, astatine slightest possibly erstwhile it comes to Johnson.

He’s emerged arsenic the runaway favourite to onshore the Las Vegas gig with NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reporting earlier this week that, “there are a batch of radical who, frankly, deliberation helium is getting it.”

That’s created 1 of the astir optimistic buzzes astir the Raiders’ instrumentality basal successful years — arsenic it should.

Johnson would beryllium a homerun hire, an summation truthful undeniably promising that it’s hard to judge the Raiders really look to beryllium successful presumption to propulsion it off.

There’s inactive a ways to go. Johnson interviewed virtually with Las Vegas past week, but helium besides talked with Chicago, Jacksonville and New England (which ended up hiring erstwhile Titans manager Mike Vrabel).

He can’t instrumentality in-person interviews until the Lions’ play ends oregon the bye week earlier the Super Bowl (which Detroit is presently favored to enactment in). Franchises successful akin positions successful the past person panicked and hired idiosyncratic else, but the Raiders wisely don’t look to beryllium successful immoderate hurry.

Johnson is worthy the hold and would awesome to the remainder of the NFL that Las Vegas is superior astir transcending its caller estimation arsenic a laughingstock non-factor.

That mightiness dependable harsh but the remainder of the league has taken for granted the Raiders consistently messing up and creating circuses successful the 23 years since they past won a playoff game. After this offseason’s hire, existent proprietor Mark Davis volition person employed much than 4 times the magnitude of coaches (nine) than he’s overseen winning seasons (two) since taking implicit for his precocious father, Al Davis, successful 2011.

And he’s bungled astir of those coaching searches.

The 69-year-old Mark Davis mostly gets a walk for elevating interim manager Antonio Pierce past offseason. Pierce had built important momentum astatine the extremity of the 2023-2024 season, and Davis endured unit from the team’s 2 champion players (Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby) to support him.

But Adams ended up demanding a commercialized anyway, and Crosby has hinted astatine one.

The different full-time prosecute Mark Davis has made since moving the squad to Las Vegas successful 2020 is little forgivable. Bringing connected Josh McDaniels up of the 2022-2023 play was a full flop.

The erstwhile Patriots’ violative coordinator flamed retired successful the aforesaid manner helium did successful his archetypal coaching occupation — with divisional rival Denver nary little successful 2009-2010 — by alienating his players and staff. Warning signs should person been evident successful the interrogation process.

But the repeated failures led to Mark Davis approaching the opening otherwise this clip around, including leaning connected a caller ellipse of confidants highlighted by caller number proprietor Tom Brady.

The seven-time winning Super Bowl backmost is reportedly who’s formed a transportation with Johnson. There’s overmuch speculation connected the pair’s narration — and expect each connection spoken by Brady successful his commentating relation for Saturday night’s Washington astatine Detroit playoff crippled to beryllium dissected — but it’s casual to spot however they could beryllium kindred shot spirits.

The closest Johnson has travel to taking a head-coaching presumption was past offseason erstwhile helium astir committed to the Washington Commanders. There was ever immoderate uncertainty connected wherefore helium didn’t extremity up successful the nation’s capital, but a caller communicative suggest it was due to the fact that of a quality successful doctrine astatine quarterback.

Washington reportedly informed Johnson it wanted to draught present existent backmost Jayden Daniels portion helium preferred to instrumentality with 2023-2024 incumbent Sam Howell.

That would bespeak Johnson wants a pouch passer for his discourtesy — similar helium has successful Detroit with Jared Goff. Brady is the epitome of the modern pouch passer.

Maybe that’s wherefore Johnson doesn’t spot the Raiders’ existent backmost concern arsenic severely arsenic astir others.

It doesn’t instrumentality overmuch of a agelong to spot Brady and Johnson being aligned connected 2025 NFL Draft imaginable Shedeur Sanders. The Raiders are powerfully suspected to beryllium enamored with the University of Colorado passer with Brady having mentored him, but Sanders volition apt beryllium gone by the clip they prime sixth wide successful the draft.

Third-year backmost Aidan O’Connell mightiness not beryllium a atrocious fallback enactment with Johnson though. The Purdue University merchandise took much of a leap than he’s being credited for successful his 2nd season.

If the Washington reports are to beryllium believed, O’Connnell was amended than Howell was with Washington 2 years agone by each metric. Heck, O’Connell’s QBR was 4 points higher than Goff’s was successful 2021-2022 erstwhile Johnson got promoted to the Lions’ playcaller.

Detroit was 0-10 astatine that moment, but Johnson elevated the discourtesy to respectability earlier the extremity of the season. Collectively, it’s been 1 of the champion units successful the league ever since.

That doesn’t warrant Johnson is going to modulation smoothly into being a caput coach. There are ever elements of uncertainty and extracurricular factors that find if a manager sticks.

But Johnson has each selling constituent a squad could ever want, surely a squad similar the Raiders. He’s idiosyncratic who could turn with the occupation and get clip to usher what needs to beryllium a near-complete rebuild similar the 1 helium contributed to successful Detroit.

No 1 has been much coveted arsenic a manager implicit the past 3 years than Johnson, and the Raiders securing his work would beryllium a coup. It would beryllium a awesome that the Raiders are back.

Johnson could daze everyone again by sticking with the Lions oregon person a alteration of bosom and caput to the Jaguars oregon Bears.

But each the Raiders tin power is their process. This clip around, for once, the process appears to beryllium sound.

They apt person oregon volition trade a backup program successful lawsuit they suffer retired connected Johnson arsenic they proceed to vet candidates and fulfill the NFL’s Rooney Rule by interviewing number coaches. But Plan A has revealed itself.

It took a agelong clip but the Raiders person arrived successful the close place.