Fansided

Best candidates to fill each of the 6 NFL head coaching vacancies

By Bryce Olin

Oct 26, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone (L) talks to New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan (R) prior to their game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 26, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone (L) talks to New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan (R) prior to their game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 29, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan during the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 29, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan during the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /

6. Oakland Raiders

Best Candidate: Mike Shanahan

Although Mike Shanahan’s last coaching stint went about as bad as it could go with the Washington Redskins, Shanahan is a veteran, Super Bowl-winning coach who wants to coach again.

The Raiders haven’t had an established NFL coach since Jon Gruden and Bill Callahan in the late ’90s and early 2000s.

The Raiders have talented players, but their biggest issue has been getting the players to buy into the system. Lane Kiffin, Dennis Allen, and other failed coaches weren’t locker room guys, and the players had no respect for them.

The Raiders have a good mix of veteran players, like Charles Woodson, Justin Tuck, and Carlos Rogers, and younger players, like Derek Carr, Khalil Mack, and Latavious Murray, right now. If the right coach could get those guys to come together and play as a team, the Raiders could be a good team, if they also made a few roster upgrades this offseason.

Mike Shanahan might not be the guy to win over the locker room, but players should respect success, and of the available coaches, no one has a coaching pedigree equal or even close to Shanahan’s.

Shanahan won three Super Bowls as a coach, one as offensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers and two with the Denver Broncos.

Shanahan’s West Coast offense would be perfect for Carr, and if the Raiders could ever find some receivers, I think Carr could actually be a decent quarterback. At least, Carr has the tools and skills Shanahan can work with, unlike Robert Griffin III in Washington.

The Raiders have an opportunity to lock-up an NFL coaching legend. Shanahan might not be the best fit for the team, but at least the Raiders would be taking a chance on a coach with proven success in the NFL.

Next: 5. Chicago Bears

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