Getty Former USC QB Caleb Williams.
The Las Vegas Raiders coaching staff under Antonio Pierce is almost filled out and quarterbacks coach is one of the final major openings left. According to a February 19 X post from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the team is close to hiring Rich Scangarello for the job.
Rich Scangarello considered front runner for #Raiders quarterbacks coaching job, per sources. He was in the building this week and a deal could happen.
Scangarello has OC experience at NFL and collegiate levels, lastly with Kentucky.
Scangarello has been coaching since 1998 and even has some experience with the Raiders as he was an offensive quality control coach in 2009. He’s bounced around for a lot of teams and was previously the offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos in 2019.
Most recently, Scangarello was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Kentucky but was fired before finishing a full season. He hasn’t been able to sustain success as a playcaller but he has a long history of coaching quarterbacks. The Raiders could very well draft a young quarterback early in the 2024 NFL Draft so who the quarterbacks coach is will be very important.
Scangarello has experience working with quarterbacks on the college and NFL levels so he’s a logical addition for the Raiders. That said, it doesn’t appear a deal is set in stone quite yet so it’s possible both sides go in a different direction.
Rich Scangarello Has Been Working With Caleb Williams
Notably, Rich Scangarello has been part of the QB Collective for years, which is a group of current and former coaches who help develop young athletes. Former USC quarterback Caleb Williams is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and he’s specifically been working with Scangarello in the pre-draft process, per a January 15 X post from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Potential No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams has already begun pre-draft training run by former NFL QB coach Rich Scangarello, whom he met years ago through @QBCollective. Getting ready to hit the ground running as a pro.
Williams trusts Scangarello enough to get him ready for the NFL and would likely be happy to work with him once he gets drafted. However, the Raiders don’t pick until No. 13 in the 2024 NFL Draft and there’s almost no way the Heisman Trophy-winner falls down that far.
QB-Needy Teams Hiring Coaches With Ties to Caleb Williams
It’s starting to become a trend where teams that need quarterbacks are hiring coaches with ties to Caleb Williams. The Chicago Bears, which holds the No. 1 pick, hired Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator, who is also a member of the QB Collective.
The Washington Commanders then hired Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator, who coached Williams at USC last season. Now the Raiders are likely adding a coach with ties to the quarterback in Scangarello.
It could all be a coincidence but Williams could wield more power than what’s being talked about. There have been quarterbacks in the past who refused to play for the teams that drafted them. Williams is a good enough prospect to be able to pull something like that off.
However, that’s still unlikely. The Bears could be a solid landing spot for Williams. They have an elite wide receiver in D.J. Moore and Waldron is a coach he should be familiar with. He also hasn’t suggested yet that he’d be willing to take a stand to not get sent to Chicago. That said, there are still a couple of months before the draft actually happens and a lot can change. Until Williams is officially a Bear, it’s a situation to watch closely.