The Las Vegas Raiders have interviewed a long list of candidates, but there are some potential names they haven’t been able to speak to yet because they’re still coaching games. One name who has been talked about as a possible fit with the franchise is Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti.
He’s arguably the best coach in college football right now and could win his first National Championship. The next logical step for him could be coaching in the NFL.
The Raiders make the most sense, as they own the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and are likely to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. However, Cignetti has never coached in the NFL at any level.
He has repsonded to the talk of him going to the pros, and he closed that door.
“I’m not an NFL guy,” Cignetti said, via Brett McMurphy of On3.com. “I made that decision a long time ago. I’ve always been a college football guy.”
That’s about as clear as it gets. Now, if Tom Brady gives him a call and offers him a blank check, perhaps that could convince him to at least hear them out, but it sounds like he’d like to stay in college for the rest of his career.
Cignetti Wouldn’t Be Right Coach for Raiders
It’s very rare for college coaches to jump to the NFL and have the same success. For every Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll, there are a dozen Nick Sabans and Bobby Petrinos.
A big reason why Harbaugh and Carroll were able to successfully make the leap is that they both had NFL experience. Harbaugh was a Pro Bowl-level quarterback, while Carroll had coached in the NFL at two different spots.
Even Saban had a little bit of NFL experience before he tried to coach the Miami Dolphins. Cignetti is a superstar college head coach. What he’s doing with Indiana is completely unprecedented. He’s already 64 years old, so trying to make such a big change might not make much sense to him.
It’s not like the Raiders would be willing to pay him much more than Indiana would. While the idea of pairing Cignetti and Mendoza together at the NFL level is a fun story, it doesn’t make much sense for either side.
Raiders Can’t Afford to Hire Wrong Coach Again
No NFL team has hired more head coaches since 2002 than the Raiders. They have given 12 different coaches a chance, and they’ve all failed. The Raiders have fired three head coaches in the span of four years.
They can’t afford to hire another one-and-done head coach. This time, the stakes are even higher. The Raiders have only had the No. 1 pick twice in franchise history. If Mendoza is the real deal, he has a chance to help turn around the franchise, but he needs to be paired with the right head coach.
The Raiders seem to be a bit more methodical in their approach this time around. They’ve interviewed many candidates from different backgrounds. If they mess up the hire again this time, it won’t be due to a lack of effort.
Raiders Receive Clear Message From Possible HC Candidate Curt Cignetti