Las Vegas Raiders head coach and GM search: Due diligence or Mark Davis having second thoughts?
If you ask NFL insiders or team beat reporters about the Las Vegas Raiders’ general manager and head coach openings, most of them will say that Champ Kelly and Antonio Pierce seem like the front-runners for those positions, respectively.
Last weekend, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said that Pierce has emerged as the “leading candidate” and spoke to a source close to the situation.
“I would be blown away if Antonio weren’t the pick,” Schefter’s source said.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Kelly has been present during the Raiders’ head-coaching interview process.
The Athletic’s Vic Tafur joked about a timeline for the Raiders to announce their full-time general manager and head coach.
While most people expect the Raiders to retain Kelly and Pierce in full-time roles, they haven’t made an official decision. That’s led to speculation.
Could owner Mark Davis surprise the masses with a different choice for the general manager role and take a swing at a big-name head coaching candidate?
Well, the MMQB’s Albert Breer injected former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel’s name into the discussion.
“I think if they can’t land a big fish like Vrabel, (Jim) Harbaugh or (Bill) Belichick, then they probably stick with Antonio Pierce,” Breer wrote in a mailbag response.
Most recently, ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio added fuel to the buzz around Vrabel.
“The word on the NFL streets over the weekend, when you start connecting dots, was Vrabel to the Raiders. Tom Brady [is] intimately involved in the team even though his attempt to purchase 5 to 10 percent of the franchise is yet to be approved by the owners and it might never be. But he is involved, and he and Vrabel are tight,” report on Las Vegas Raiders head coach decision.
