Las Vegas Raiders have tough decision on head coach ahead
The Las Vegas Raiders have to find a new head coach. Who they choose will set the course for them in the coming years.
For only the second time since 2002, the Las Vegas Raiders reached the postseason.
Only three days after being eliminated in the Wild Card round by the Cincinnati Bengals, they’re looking for a new head coach and accompanying general manager.
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Owner Mark Davis has a choice to make in both cases. However, the head coach is clearly the most visible hire. Las Vegas finished with an interim man in the form of Rich Basaccia. He guided the franchise through chaos and tragedy to a 10-7 record, earning the No. 5 seed in the AFC.
So who takes the job permanently? Basaccia, 61, remains a candidate and should be a strong one. He has relationships with the players after being in Las Vegas under former head coach Jon Gruden, and has continued to forge ahead with a winning culture.
On Tuesday, star edge rusher Maxx Crosby talked about Basaccia and his impact on The Rich Eisen Show. Per NFL.com:
“Rich is one of a kind. Everybody’s been asking, what’s going to happen? Everybody knows my vote. I made that very clear, I love Rich. I think he’s the best man for the job. He’s come in and done such an amazing job. We won 10 games with a team that’s had tragedy, loss, everything you could imagine. And he’s found a way to get a group of guys to come together and win football games in January and December, which is rare. Rich is the real deal, he’s a leader of men.”
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However, it appears anything but certain Basaccia will hold the job. There have long been rumors about the potential of University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh coming back to the NFL for the Raiders. Harbaugh would be a big name for an owner who loves such things, and it would be a homecoming for the 58-year-old after he began his coaching career in 2002 with the Silver and Black as a quarterbacks coach.
In the coming weeks, the Raiders will make their hire and push forward with NFL free agency less than two months away. Whether it’s Basaccia, Harbaugh or another outside man such as a current coordinator, Las Vegas needs to finally get it right and have some consistency.
