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The Las Vegas Raiders are taking their time with their head coaching search but aren’t planning on letting at least one top assistant coach walk. According to a January 10 X post from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, an unnamed team requested to interview defensive coordinator Patrick Graham but the Raiders blocked the request.
Graham is still under contract so the Raiders control him for now. However, they’d likely let him interview for head coaching positions. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported in a January 8 X post that the Los Angeles Chargers requested to interview Graham for their head coaching opening.
There’s no word on if that request was blocked or granted but it seems unlikely the Raiders wouldn’t let him seek out head coaching jobs. The team just won’t let him leave for the same position on a different team.
The Raiders have yet to decide on a head coach yet. If interim head coach Antonio Pierce were to get the job, it’s feasible that he’d want to keep Graham on as his defensive coordinator. However, a new coach may want to bring in his own guy despite Graham’s status as one of the top defensive minds in the NFL.
Patrick Graham Turned Around Las Vegas Raiders Defense
Year 1 for Patrick Graham on the Raiders wasn’t promising. The team finished 26th in points allowed per game (24.6) and 28th in yards allowed per game (365.6). While the Raiders were 15th in yards allowed per game in 2023 (330.9), the scoring defense was ninth-best in the NFL as the team only allowed 19.5 points a game.
What makes Graham’s job even more impressive is that the Raiders had the second-cheapest defense in the NFL in 2023, per Spotrac. He may have not the most high-end talent to work with but he got the most out of them.
The Raiders hadn’t finished with a top-10 scoring defense since 2002 and Graham was able to turn the group around in two seasons. His performance this season could be enough to get him a head coaching job. If not, the Raiders would be wise to do what they can to retain him as defensive coordinator.
Will Patrick Graham Get HC Job?
What works in the Raiders’ favor if they’re hoping to keep Patrick Graham is that teams have been hiring defensive-minded head coaches less and less every year. There are also hotter defensive-minded candidates who could get hired before Graham like Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores or Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
Both of those coaches have been head coaches before which could give them an edge over Graham. The Chargers are clearly interested in him but it seems more likely they go after an offensive-minded coach after Brandon Staley flopped.
The Carolina Panthers could be a team to watch. Not many coaches are going to want to touch that job but a first-time head coach like Graham could be willing to take a chance. The Tennessee Titans may also be a team to watch. They just fired head coach Mike Vrabel and could go with a more cerebral coach like Graham after years of dealing with the fiery Vrabel.
Lastly, the New England Patriots could move on from head coach Bill Belichick. Graham spent seven years with the team as an assistant and could still have connections to the franchise.
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