The first coaching vacancy of 2023–24 has been posted: The Raiders parted ways with Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler late Tuesday night. Here is my initial analysis on the move. Now, let’s talk about candidates.
First, we cannot ignore Antonio Pierce. Raiders owner Mark Davis understood the chaotic optics of this decision to fire McDaniels less than two years into a six-year contract. He would not have done this if Pierce, a longtime NFL player, Super Bowl champion, and coach at all three levels, wasn’t worth a long-term evaluation. Pierce, like Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia—who replaced Jon Gruden as interim coach—may end up being the best option for the Raiders as presently constructed. So, it’s important we don’t get into a list of replacements without understanding that Pierce may actually be The Guy. Similarly, I think Bisaccia deserves another, longer look from Davis. Even though Bisaccia may have been the right person at the right time, going back to the longtime special teams coordinator and learning some of his lessons in humility and crisis management would be a wise use of time.
Player-coaches, I feel, are going to become the standard in the NFL. While there will always be outliers, the first and most difficult job is getting a group of people to buy in. DeMeco Ryans, Dan Campbell and Kevin O’Connell are showing how to expedite that process expertly. Pierce is in that mold.
Beyond that? Here are a few curated selections. I say curated because, earlier this year, I wrote a master list of the best head coaching candidates for 2024 and beyond, with nearly 100 names on it. There are really good head coaches, really good head coaches and some middle section of the Venn diagram that overlaps. So, while I still believe Ben Johnson is the top head coaching candidate, I don’t know that he fits well in Vegas. Similarly, there is a coach below who was not on my master list of future head coaches who I think would fit well in Vegas.
With that said, let’s get on with it. The order of the names is alphabetical.
1. Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator, Detroit Lions
Glenn, a former first-round pick in the NFL and a longtime, respected cornerback, has also been a sought-after coach on the very hot Lions coaching staff. Glenn would fit the bill for a few reasons: I think Davis needs to go with a former player, or someone who is known for his emotional intelligence and humility. Glenn fits both. As colleague Albert Breer noted, this felt like a player-led mutiny. Owners, in a time of crisis, tend to reach toward the opposite side of the aisle. Glenn, while loosely connected to the Patriots tree, would represent a major departure from the stiff and inflexible McDaniels.
