"Tom Brady has respect for them" - Insider not ruling out 2 high-profile HC candidates for Raiders after whiffing on Ben Johnson
The Las Vegas Raiders suffered a major blow when they failed to acquire the services of Ben Johnson, who became the Chicago Bears' new head coach on Tuesday. However, they reportedly have two very notable contingency plans, each of whom shares a history with part-owner Tom Brady dating back to when he was a player.
Speaking on Wednesday's episode of Rich Eisen's eponymous show, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer said:
"I think Tom Brady's personal relationships are a factor here. You know, I one thing that I did here was, not to rule out Pete Carroll or Steve Spagnuolo, because Brady has respect for them, having gone up against them, having played against them."
Carroll is the former head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, whom Brady's New England Patriots defeated at Super Bowl XLIX to revive their dynasty.
Spagnuolo was the New York Giants' defensive coordinator when they defeated the Patriots at XLII to prevent the first undefeated season in league history since the 1972 Miami Dolphins. As the Kansas City Chiefs' incumbent defensive coordinator, he lost to Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers at LV.
The Raiders' new general manager, John Spytek, also has ties to the quarterback-turned-commentator and owner. He held various executive positions with the Buccaneers for eight years beginning in 2016 and was instrumental in luring the multiple-time Super Bowl champion to the team in free agency during the 2020 offseason.
Tom Brady gets candid about role in Raiders' HC search
Meanwhile, as Tom Brady enters his first full season as a part-owner in Las Vegas, he has shared some insight into what his role in the organization's coaching search really is.
Speaking to Colin Cowherd on FS1's The Herd, he sought to downplay his role, calling himself "one voice" and "a rookie" in the process (segment starts at 01:43):
"There's other great people involved... It's so collaborative. I think this process of learning is so important. So, that's kind of where it's at."
He continued by calling the search "a jigsaw puzzle" that the operator(s) need to assemble perfectly if the ensuing image is to look excellent:
"Whether it's a football organization or basketball or baseball, I think it's a collective group of people, and you've got to figure out that puzzle of what exactly fits... This whole puzzle with an offensive coach, defensive coach — it should be about great people doing great things, working collaboratively, being humble, learning every year."
Another candidate that has been pondered is current Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, with whom the Raiders have requested an interview, according to The Athletic's Tashan Reed.
He joined the Buccaneers in 2016, the same year as Spytek, and lasted until the end of 2018, when he and the rest of then-head coach Dirk Koetter's staff were purged to make way for an overhaul led by Bruce Arians.