Raiders pivot from Ben Johnson has Tom Brady written all over it

You have to hand it to Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady for trying to flex in the organization's first head coaching search since he purchased his stake in the franchise. Though it seemed like a formality for a month now that Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was heading to the Chicago Bears, Brady and the silver and black made a late push to try and get him to come to Sin City.

That, obviously, didn't happen as Johnson was announced as the Bears next head coach on Tuesday following reports confirming as much on Monday. So it was back to the drawing board for the Raiders.

And the drawing board is showing a Super Bowl-winning head coach that the Raiders now have their sights on: Pete Carroll.

According to Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed of The Athletic ($), the Plan B for the Raiders appears to be the longtime Seattle Seahawks head coach who parted ways with that franchise following the 2023 season. The report indicates that Carroll is Las Vegas' top choice to be the team's next head coach to replace Antonio Pierce with the belief that the 73-year-old is preferred over Aaron Glenn.

NFL Rumors: Raiders eyeing Pete Carroll after missing on Ben Johnson

Tafur and Reed also reported that, in addition to Carroll's bonafides as a head coach in the NFL and at the college level for that matter, that Jed Hughes, who is helpiing to run their coaching search, is the same guy who "helped place" the head coach with the Seahawks back in 2010.

But this also seems like something that Brady has his fingerprints all over. Outside of Johnson who sits in his own tier as this coaching carousel's wunderkind, the Raiders interviews for the head coaching position to this point have been a who's who of successful and long-tenured coaches. Aaron Glenn, Steve Spagnuolo and Vance Joseph have all been around the league for some time, and so too has Todd Monken, who Vegas is also reportedly in line to interview.

Carroll fits in that line of thinking as well but with more success at head coach (or even experience) than any of the other candidates. While some may push back at Carroll's age, the fact of the matter is that his resumé speaks for itself but, moreover, also speaks to the fact that he can guide a Raiders roster that's a bit directionless at the moment into a more sustainable path toward success.

When you consider the stability that Brady had in New England throughout his career along with the fact that he's intimately familiar with Carroll after the two faced off in Super Bowl XLIX (though the Seahawks decision to not hand the ball to MarShawn Lynch at the goal-line in that game lives in infamy), it's hard not to think the GOAT of the quarterback conversation wants him in the building.

As with all things in the coaching carousel, the situation with the Raiders remains fluid and there are no shortage of quality options. However, after missing out on Johnson, Carroll being the top choice for a search that Brady is clearly heavily involved in makes a world of sense.