Other NFL teams are going to look up and down the Washington Commanders roster after their stunning turnaround this season and, where they can, pick it apart. That means free agents. That means trades. That means assistant coaches.
It even means front office executives. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Las Vegas Raiders have interviewed Commanders assistant general manager Lance Newmark for their open general manager role.
“Raiders are interviewing former Lions executive and current Commanders assistant GM Lance Newmark today for their general manager job, per sources,” Schefter wrote on his official X account on January 19. “Newmark spent 26 seasons in Detroit before joining Washington last year, and is said to have a strong relationship with both Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn.”
Johnson and Glenn, considered the top 2 NFL head coaching candidates in this cycle, were both on the losing end of an NFC Divisional Round upset against the Commanders on January 18, with Washington traveling to face the Detroit Lions and coming out with a 45-31 win to advance to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991.
Johnson is the offensive coordinator for the Lions and considered the leading candidate to become the Raiders head coach. Glenn is the Lions defensive coordinator.
The Raiders fired general manager Tom Telesco on January 9 after just one season — just 2 days after they fired head coach Antonio Pierce after one season.
Newmark in First Season With Commanders
Newmark was part of a massive overhaul for the Commanders in the offseason along with general manager Adam Peters, who Newmark reports to, and a new head coach in Dan Quinn.
From Commanders.com: “Newmark joins the Commanders with 28 years of NFL experience, including 26 seasons with the Detroit Lions. He most recently held the role of senior director of player personnel for Detroit and helped oversee both the college and pro scouting operations. He also assisted with the weekly management of the Lions roster and assisted Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager Brad Holmes with the implementation of Holmes’ scouting vision throughout the entire personnel department.”
Newmark broke into the NFL in the early 1990s on the San Diego Chargers under Pro Football Hall of Fame general manager Bobby Beathard.
Raiders One of NFL’s Worst-Run Franchises
The Raiders are a rare combination for North American professional sports — a marquee team in a prime location with a rich history who can’t seem to ever get right and are run as poorly as any pro team in any league under owner Mark Davis.
The Raiders haven’t won a playoff game since losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl following the 2002 season and have only had 2 winning seasons in the last 22 years. They’ve also moved cities — from Oakland to Las Vegas — and have had 11 different head coaches in the last 22 years.
The Raiders are coming off a 4-13 season and have the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Their one glaring need is at quarterback, where they likely won’t have a shot at drafting either of the top 2 quarterback prospects in the draft with Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward.
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Raiders Could Poach Key Piece of Commanders’ Success