Raiders next regime hiring could be accelerated after Lions’ early playoff exit

Tom Brady had on his Fox analyst hat as he called the divisional round matchup between the Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions on Saturday, but his mind quickly transitioned to his duties as Las Vegas Raiders minority owner following the Commanders’ 45-31 upset win.

The Raiders had already scheduled an in-person interview with Commanders assistant GM Lance Newmark for their GM vacancy on Sunday, so Brady caught a flight from Detroit to Las Vegas to be there. The Raiders’ hiring committee is composed of controlling owner Mark Davis and four minority owners: Brady, Silver Lake co-CEO and managing partner Egon Durban, Discovery Land founder and chairman Michael Meldman and Knighthead International co-chairman Tom Wagner.

Newmark was hired by the Commanders in 2024 and played a key role in taking them from being a four-win team to a berth in the NFC Championship Game next week. He’s independently a qualified GM candidate, but him being the first GM candidate the Raiders interviewed in person stood out given his ties to Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who the Raiders virtually interviewed for their head coach vacancy on Jan. 10.

Before heading to Washington, Newmark spent 26 years in the Lions’ personnel department. That means he overlapped with Johnson from 2019 to 2023. He also worked alongside Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who the Raiders also interviewed virtually on Jan. 10, but Johnson is Las Vegas’ top candidate.

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Due to Detroit’s surprising early exit from the playoffs, the Raiders are allowed to bring Johnson in for an in-person interview as soon as Monday. The Raiders had in-person interviews last week with former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh and former Commanders head coach Ron Rivera. Saleh and Rivera are minority candidates, so the Raiders have satisfied the Rooney Rule and are free to hire a head coach.

In addition to Newmark, the Raiders will have in-person interviews with New York Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown and Los Angeles Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander on Monday. Brown and Alexander are both Black, so their interviews will also put the Raiders in compliance with the Rooney Rule at GM. While teams can’t hire coaches who are still in the postseason, executives are fair game. So, if they want to, the Raiders could hire Newmark next week even though the Commanders’ season is still going.

That puts the Raiders in position to move quickly when it comes to hiring their next GM and head coach. Newmark and Johnson are the clear front runners, and that potential pairing would give the Raiders the alignment they were seeking when they fired GM Tom Telesco and head coach Antonio Pierce earlier this month.

The big question that remains is whether Johnson would take the job. He also interviewed virtually with the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars on Jan. 10 and may want to interview with both teams in person before making a decision. It can’t be ruled out that he could decide to just return to Lions as their offensive coordinator, but the sense is he’s ready to make the leap to become a head coach.

If Johnson turns the Raiders down, they have alternatives. In addition to Carroll, Saleh, Rivera, Glenn and Johnson, they’ve also interviewed Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. They’ve also requested an interview with Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, but it hasn’t happened yet.

Carroll, who also interviewed with the Bears, is believed to be the Raiders’ backup option at head coach, according to league sources. He’s been an NFL head coach three times with the Jets (1994), New England Patriots (1997-1999) and Seahawks (2010-2023) and was also the head coach at USC from 2001 to 2009.

The Raiders hired Jed Hughes from search firm Korn Ferry to help coordinate their GM and head coach searches. Hughes helped place Carroll with the Seahawks in 2010, so there’s plenty of familiarity there. Carroll will turn 74 next season and would be the oldest head coach in NFL history if he returns to the sidelines, but the Super Bowl XLVIII champion has a strong resume and could still have something left in the tank.

The Raiders would likely turn to a different GM candidate if they hired Carroll, according to league sources. In addition to Newmark, Brown and Alexander, the Raiders also had virtual interviews with Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant GM John Spytek, Pittsburgh Steelers director of pro personnel Sheldon White and Green Bay Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan. The Raiders have options to pivot in case the pairing of Newmark and Johnson doesn’t come together.

Although the Raiders’ path forward at both GM and head coach remains unsettled, their timelines for both searches have clearly accelerated. The franchise’s fourth regime since 2021 could soon be in place.

(Photo of Ben Johnson: Junfu Han / Imagn Images)