The first coaching vacancy of 2023–24 has been posted: The Raiders parted ways with Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler late Tuesday night. Here is my initial analysis on the move. Now, let’s talk about candidates.
First, we cannot ignore Antonio Pierce. Raiders owner Mark Davis understood the chaotic optics of this decision to fire McDaniels less than two years into a six-year contract. He would not have done this if Pierce, a longtime NFL player, Super Bowl champion, and coach at all three levels, wasn’t worth a long-term evaluation. Pierce, like Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia—who replaced Jon Gruden as interim coach—may end up being the best option for the Raiders as presently constructed. So, it’s important we don’t get into a list of replacements without understanding that Pierce may actually be The Guy. Similarly, I think Bisaccia deserves another, longer look from Davis. Even though Bisaccia may have been the right person at the right time, going back to the longtime special teams coordinator and learning some of his lessons in humility and crisis management would be a wise use of time.
Player-coaches, I feel, are going to become the standard in the NFL. While there will always be outliers, the first and most difficult job is getting a group of people to buy in. DeMeco Ryans, Dan Campbell and Kevin O’Connell are showing how to expedite that process expertly. Pierce is in that mold.
Beyond that? Here are a few curated selections. I say curated because, earlier this year, I wrote a master list of the best head coaching candidates for 2024 and beyond, with nearly 100 names on it. There are really good head coaches, really good head coaches for the Raiders and some middle section of the Venn diagram that overlaps. So, while I still believe Ben Johnson is the top head coaching candidate, I don’t know that he fits well in Vegas. Similarly, there is a coach below who was not on my master list of future head coaches who I think would fit well in Vegas.
With that said, let’s get on with it. The order of the names is alphabetical.
1. Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator, Detroit Lions
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Glenn, a former first-round pick in the NFL and a longtime, respected cornerback, has also been a sought-after coach on the very hot Lions coaching staff. Glenn would fit the bill for a few reasons: I think Davis needs to go with a former player, or someone who is known for his emotional intelligence and humility. Glenn fits both. As colleague Albert Breer noted, this felt like a player-led mutiny. Owners, in a time of crisis, tend to reach toward the opposite side of the aisle. Glenn, while loosely connected to the Patriots tree, would represent a major departure from the stiff and inflexible McDaniels.
2. Mike Macdonald, defensive coordinator, Baltimore Ravens
Macdonald, Don “Wink” Martindale’s heir apparent in Baltimore, is having an incredible season with the Ravens. I spoke with his former coworker, Leslie Frazier, for our coaches’ list feature on Macdonald. He noted how, as a young assistant, Macdonald was adept at understanding offenses from a defensive perspective, and unearthed a good number of the Ravens’ maniacal third-down pressures that are a hallmark of the franchise’s defensive style. Baltimore leads the league in sacks this year despite a relatively conservative 24% blitz rate, meaning that Macdonald is finding different ways to get to the passer without sacrificing bodies in pass coverage. He would fit with the Raiders in that, before Gruden and McDaniels, Vegas had a history of hiring young, upstart coaches known for their smarts.
3. Don “Wink” Martindale, defensive coordinator, New York Giants
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I feel like there is not a better personality fit than Martindale in Vegas. Watch closely, and you’ll see a Giants defense significantly outperforming the sum of its parts. Over the past three weeks, the Giants have allowed two or fewer touchdowns. Over the past two weeks, the Giants have held opponents to 3-of-30 on third downs and are one of the best third-down defenses in the NFL. Martindale coaches an exciting and marketable brand of defense. The Giants are fifth in the NFL in percentage of opposing quarterback drop-backs that result in a hurried throw. Martindale may evoke a certain need to stereotype him by age or by appearance, but, deep down, he is known as a conscientious, player-forward coach. In stops with the Ravens and the Giants, he has developed coaches and young players alike. Kayvon Thibodeaux, Micah McFadden and Deonte Banks exemplify that with the Giants. The fact that he likes his hair mulleted and sleeves chopped off, and is not afraid of the pressure to conform just to fit himself in a box, should be a check mark in his favor. By inheriting a defense in absolute tatters, Martindale is a sensible option because his scheme of controlled chaos can maximize what is left on the field.
4. Jim Schwartz, defensive coordinator, Cleveland Browns
Schwartz, the former Lions head coach, may be a bit of a long shot. This is especially true given that the team just fired McDaniels, who, as we mentioned before, is likely going to prompt the need for a coach with playing experience or a known cachet as a player-friendly head coach. Still, Schwartz’s work with Myles Garrett this year is notable, especially when the Raiders’ best player is a star pass rusher (Maxx Crosby) still in his mid-20s.
5. Frank Smith, offensive coordinator, Miami Dolphins
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To me, Smith becomes one of the more sensible choices for the Raiders for a few reasons. First, he has direct ties to Jon Gruden, and served as the team’s tight ends coach, run-game coordinator and offensive line coach before moving to the Dolphins and working with kindred spirit Mike McDaniel. In this way, a lot of stars align. Smith has familiarity with the organization, Davis gets a Gruden stamp of approval, and the Raiders pluck an assistant from the Dolphins tree. Smith is going to get a lot of interviews this offseason, but there is a history here, and he could go into an interview process with a leg up. Smith would excel here because of his humanity. As we mentioned in a previous writing about Smith, his work with Darren Waller, which included flying to Waller’s hometown to help understand him better as a person and ease his transition out of rehabilitation, had to have left a mark on this organization.
6. Jeff Ulbrich, defensive coordinator, New York Jets
Ulbrich was new on our head coaching list this year and could quickly generate some buzz. Ulbrich has the cachet of a coach who has stood in the middle of an NFL defense for a decade, before making his way into coaching. The 46-year-old grew up in San Jose, and has had valued coaching gigs under Pete Carroll and Dan Quinn. Now, as a play-caller with the Jets’ stout defense, Ulbrich is helping a team seriously hampered offensively stay afloat in the rigorous AFC. I would guess that Ulbrich would come with a firm stamp of approval from a lot of coaches on the Shanahan tree, and would have access to some of those same coaches to come in and call his offense.
Don’t see the coach you like here? Chances are that person is here.
