Las Vegas

Raiders

Do take a minute to look at the linked graphic for “Jesse Minter 2nd Interview,” what a glorious expression of the NFL coaching silly season. Minter remains in play for the Ravens, Browns, and Raiders jobs. We’d be surprised if he didn’t land one of them considering he’s had multiple second interviews, but the Chargers would happily take him back if Minter struck out on the remaining vacancies.

The Dolphins are the first team to meet with Graham as a potential head coaching fit this cycle. The long-time defensive coordinator was in the same role with the Dolphins during the 2019 season, but has spent the last four seasons as the Raiders’ defensive coordinator despite the team going through three head coaching changes over that span. Graham’s defense allowed the fourth-lowest yards per carry on the ground last season, but ranked 25th in points allowed and 14th in total yards allowed. Graham becomes the eighth coach to interview with the Fins for their head coach opening. We’ll see if he’s one of the few called back for a second interview in the coming days.

The Raiders continue to roll through interviews in hopes of securing a head coach who can last more than 1.5 seasons at the helm — something that hasn’t been done since Jon Gruden was with the team from 2018 to 2021. Kubiak hasn’t fielded too many interview requests this coaching cycle, but is also expected to interview with the Steelers in the coming days after the team put in a request last week. Kubiak had his first taste of action as an NFL offensive coordinator this season with the Niners and helped lead the team to the 10th-most points and seventh-most offensive yards this season. One year of experience may not be enough for Kubiak to land a head-coaching job this cycle, but he league is clearly taking notice of the work he’s done, and is likely drawn in by the family bloodlines along with the experience under Kyle Shanahan.

McDaniel has now met with the Browns, Ravens, and Raiders to discuss their head-coaching vacancies and interviewed with the Buccaneers to discuss their opening at offensive coordinator. The former Dolphins coach has plenty of suitors on the open market, but he seems unlikely to take a job as a coordinator until he has explored all possible options for head coaching gigs. McDaniel already has a second interview with the Browns lined up, which will presumably take place later this week.

Hafley has already met with other teams this coaching cycle and has a second interview with the Dolphins on tap. The 46-year-old coach has led top-12 defenses in back-to-back seasons since leaving the college game for the pros in 2024 and remains a hot name on the market with seven head coaching vacancies still left to be filled.

Minter is already scheduled to meet with the Browns for a second time and can now add the Raiders to that list. The 42-year-old defensive coordinator joined the Chargers in 2024 after opting to leave Michigan along with head coach Jim Harbaugh, and has led his defense to back-to-back top-10 defensive seasons. In 2024, the Chargers allowed the fewest points of any team in the league while also finishing 11th in total yards allowed. Minter could see more interviews come his way this week as teams continue to move past the first phase of the hiring cycle and narrow their list of candidates.

As far as head coaching vacancies are concerned, McDaniel now has second interviews with both the Browns and Raiders lined up for this week, and he still remains a highly sought-after offensive coordinator for other teams. Regardless of where he lands, the former Dolphins head coach won’t be without a job for long, as several suitors have emerged since his firing at the end of the season.

Brady spoke with both the Raiders and the Dolphins about their head coaching vacancies a day after the Bills’ divisional round loss to the Broncos. The 36-year-old offensive coordinator has spent the last three seasons’ as the Bills’ OC after taking over for Ken Dorsey during the 2023 season, and helped coach Josh Allen to an MVP during his first full season as the helm in 2024. Brady has been viewed as a potential head coaching candidate dating back to 2019 when he helped lead LSU to a national championship. We’ll soon see if his number finally gets called by one of the seven teams still in search of their next head coach.

Evero met virtually with the Raiders this week and will have an in-person interview sometime next week. The 45-year-old defensive coordinator also has an interview with the Steelers coming up. Evero has been a defensive coordinator for the last four years (three with the Panthers, one with the Broncos) with mixed results, though he remains respected around the league.

Only two days ago, Kubiak had zero reported interview invites. Now he is slated to interview for both the Steelers and Raiders’ head-coaching vacancies. Good for him. Kubiak’s offense has helped propel the 49ers into the Divisional Round, with the defense’s front-seven being hampered by injuries.