Nowadays, you can bet on pretty much anything. And now that six coaching jobs (and possibly more) are open, wagers can be placed on who’ll get each job.
At DraftKings, the favorite to become the next head coach of the Raiders is Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, at +175.
Technically, Flores remains the Vikings’ defensive coordinator until the specific date when his contract expires. But, frankly, there’s no more work to do. The last game of the final year of Flores’s three-year deal has ended. If he doesn’t re-sign, he can go wherever he wants.
Even if he signs a new deal in Minnesota, he can always leave to become a head coach elsewhere. Over the weekend, we wrote about a rumor making the rounds that the Raiders, under the guidance of minority owner Tom Brady, could engineer a Patriot Way reunion in Las Vegas, with Flores as head coach and Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator.
Enough people are putting enough money on Flores to make him the favorite, regardless of whether the Raiders hire him.
Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is next on the list, at +800. 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has 10-1 odds, or +1000. Ditto for former Packers and Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, who took 2025 off.
Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula and Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken land at +1200, followed by Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, and Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, at +1400.
Then there’s Bill Belichick, at +1600. We’re extremely confident that one will not happen. Which probably means it will. (It won’t.)
Former Raiders coach Jon Gruden lurks near the bottom of the list, at 40-1. And it wouldn’t be a complete shock if owner Mark Davis pulls rank and insists that his deposed BFF be brought back, especially if Davis isn’t happy by the limited time his replacement BFF seemingly spends on Raiders matters.
Regardless, Flores is the favorite for now. Time will tell whether that possibility comes to fruition. With Brady’s decision (if it was his) to go with a non-Patriot for 2025 turning into a disaster, it would make plenty of sense if he rolls the dice on starting the coaching staff with folks who have been influenced by Belichick — especially in light of the success that Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels have had this year in New England.
