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While interim head coach Antonio Pierce has a chance of getting the full-time head coaching job for the Las Vegas Raiders, the team will have to conduct a full search this offseason.
One big name who could be available on the coaching market in 2024 is Bill Belichick.
The New England Patriots sit at 3-10 heading into Week 15, and Belichick could move on after 24 years with the organization.
However, the Raiders may not be one of the teams who could seriously consider the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach.
The team fired long-time Belichick assistant Josh McDaniels on October 31 and may not be keen on trying to implement the “Patriot Way” again.
Count Raiders legend and Hall of Fame defensive lineman Howie Long among those against the idea of the Raiders potentially hiring Belichick.
“I think we just had the ‘Patriots Way’ in there,” Long said on “Up & Adams” on December 13. “It’s an interesting organization. It’s an organization that historically has had a lot of success and a lot of great players. I remember when I got there as a young player, you didn’t have to look far to see greatness because it was all around me.
“To try to come in and wipe that history and the kind of philosophy or … the culture of that team and not respect that — not that I’m saying that [McDaniels] didn’t respect the culture, but it was a little bit, in my mind and from what I’m hearing, overboard on the New England thing.”
Long continued:
“I think somebody has to come and walk a fine line of, ‘Hey, this is how we’re gonna do things but, at the same time, I really respect and admire and appreciate and will communicate the kind of history this team has had.'”
Patriots Have Already Made Decision on Bill Belichick: Insider
It’s almost unfathomable to imagine Belichick coaching another NFL team after 24 years leading the Patriots. However, New England will miss the playoffs this season for the third time in the last four years, and things appear to be getting worse, not better. Particularly at quarterback.
Sometimes a change of scenery is necessary and it appears the Patriots are already preparing to move on from the legendary coach. According to NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran, owner Robert Kraft may have already decided what to do with Belichick.
“When they came out of Germany, conversations I had that week made it very clear that a decision was made,” Curran said on December 11. “They were going to play out the string, and at the end of the year, there would be a parting of the ways for a variety of reasons.”
Belichick, who signed a new contract in New England before the 2023 season, will be 72 years old at the start of the 2024 season.
Should Las Vegas Raiders Avoid Bill Belichick?
McDaniels was one of Belichick’s most trusted assistants for 13 seasons, most recently as New England’s offensive coordinator from 2012 to 2021.
While he has now failed as a head coach on two occasions, Belichick and his 300-plus career wins have already cemented their place among the NFL’s greats.
Raiders owner Mark Davis isn’t afraid to take big swings when hiring head coaches (see: Dennis Allen, Jon Gruden, McDaniels, etc.) and no swing would be bigger than adding Belichick.
However, the “Patriot Way” clearly wasn’t working in Las Vegas and it’s fair to question if it works anywhere anymore, and whether Davis would realistically consider Belichick given how epically McDaniels failed in Vegas.
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