Jon Gruden is gone and he’s never coming back for the Las Vegas Raiders. Interim head coach Rich Bisaccia is set to take over the team and while he could have a shot at keeping the job long-term, there’s no question the front office is going to start thinking about future candidates soon. The Raiders have a solid roster and could be one of the most appealing openings to a head coaching candidate.
However, the franchise hasn’t always played it safe in head coaching searches. Respected offensive coordinators Eric Bieniemy and Brian Daboll will be popular names linked to the Raiders, but it’s always possible the team take a surprising swing. According to SportsBetting.ag, some of the long shots to get the team’s next head coaching job are Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, Hall of Fame defensive back Charles Woodson and Raiders’ all-time leading scorer Sebastian Janikowski.
WILD names on the odds list for next #Raiders HC, via @SportsBettingAG
Peyton Manning +5000
Urban Meyer +5000
Howie Long +7500
Charles Woodson +10000
Lane Kiffin +10000
Tony Romo +15000
Sebastian Janikowski +50000
Obviously, none of these hire a likely to happen. It’s virtually impossible to imagine Mark Davis bringing back Lane Kiffin to join the team. That said, there’s at least one name on the list that is somewhat interesting.
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Manning Could Be Intriguing Coach
Throughout the history of sports, superstar players haven’t had a ton of success coaching. There have been plenty of former players who have thrived as coaches but not many who were superstars at playing the game. Former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka is probably the only NFL member to have a Hall of Fame career as a player and coach.
However, Manning could still be an interesting head coaching candidate. While he always had plenty of physical talent as one of the league’s great quarterbacks, he was consistently praised for how smart he was. No matter where he played or who his coach was, his offense thrived. He clearly has a strong football mind. He could get an offensive coordinator job if he truly wanted to but could be holding out to become a head coach. He could also be content making commercials and doing ESPN’s Manningcast for Monday Night Football. Regardless, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he tried to join the coaching ranks in the near future.
Don’t Rule out Bisaccia
Fans of the Raiders are no doubt going to speculate who the team’s next coach might be. However, it’s far too early to rule out Bisaccia. The Raiders have replaced a head coach during the season five times prior in the franchise’s history. Only Red Conkright and Tony Sparano weren’t brought back to coach the team the following season, according to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez.
Rich Bisaccia is the 6th coach in #Raiders history to take over during a season, joining Marty Feldman (1961), Red Conkright (1962), Art Shell (1989), Tom Cable (2008) and Tony Sparano (2014). All but Conkright and Sparano came back the following season as head coach.
Bisaccia has never been a head coach and it’s not popular to hire special teams coordinators to lead a team but he’s well respected around the league. In his first press conference as the Raiders head coach, he had to hold back tears about finally getting the opportunity.
“My dad was the head football coach at the New York Giants — he just never told anybody,” Bisaccia said. “I got five sisters, I got four kids, five grandkids. So, to have an opportunity to be the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, wow! I guess really that’s the only thing I’m going to get choked up about.”
Former Raiders linebacker Will Compton expressed how much players resonate with Bisaccia.
I wasn’t on this team long —but long enough to know he was the best leader of players I’ve been around. No one in that building has more player-respect than Coach Bisaccia
He’s also the 🐐 of speeches
If he can lead the Raiders to the playoffs this season, he’s going to have a real shot leading the team next season.
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Raiders Next Head Coach: Wild Odds Include Former Fan Favorite & Star QB