Getty Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis.
With the 2023 regular season over for the Las Vegas Raiders, the franchise will turn its eyes toward their openings at general manager and head coach. Champ Kelly and Antonio Pierce will be in the mix to fill both positions but the team has to do a comprehensive search before making a decision.
The first name the Raiders are hoping to interview is San Francisco 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters. According to a January 8 X post from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Las Vegas has requested permission to interview Peters.
Raiders requested permission to interview 49ers’ assistant GM Adam Peters for their general manager job, per source. Raiders and Commanders both now have an interest in Peters.
Peters has already accepted an interview with the Washington Commanders so he’s a hot candidate. The 49ers finished with the No. 1 seed in the NFC and have one of the best rosters in the NFL.
General manager John Lynch gets most of the credit for the roster construction but Peters has been his right-hand man for the past three seasons. He’s been a hot general manager candidate in the past but has been picky with the jobs he considers.
It remains to be seen if he’ll accept the interview requests from the Raiders. If he does, Peters is certainly a name to watch for their general manager job.
Las Vegas Raiders Also Linked to Ed Dodds
Adam Peters isn’t the only general manager candidate the Raiders are looking at. According to a January 8 X post from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the team also requested permission to interview Indianapolis Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds.
Dodds is a name Raiders fans should be familiar with. He was also in consideration for the general manager opening in 2022 after Mike Mayock was fired. Dodds was also a pro personnel intern with the Raiders from 2003 to 2006 so he has ties to the franchise.
According to a 2022 report from The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, Dodds was briefly the favorite to be hired as the Raiders general manager before Dave Ziegler pulled ahead. The team will now have a chance to take another look at him. Dodds has been a sought-after general manager candidate in the past but has been picky. It remains to be seen if he’ll be interested in the Raiders job this time around.
Champ Kelly Should Still Be in the Mix
Just because the Raiders are interviewing other general manager candidates, it’s likely Champ Kelly’s job to lose. He was among the favorites to get the job in 2022 before Dave Ziegler was hired and has been in the organization for the past two seasons.
That said, interviewing Adam Peters and Ed Dodds is interesting as neither would help the Raiders satisfy The Rooney Rule. The team needs to interview at least two minority or female candidates before making a decision. Dodds and Peters don’t fit either criteria.
It’s clear that Mark Davis intends to do a very comprehensive search for his next general manager and isn’t going to just do a couple of fake interviews so that he can hire Kelly first. He’ll certainly be in the mix for the Raiders job and will get looks around the league for other openings. This could end up being a drawn-out process for Las Vegas.