Tom Brady’s pull for Raiders and Ben Johnson might’ve been entirely overblown
Tom Brady has a voice in the Las Vegas Raiders' decision-making process but it's unclear just how much sway the legendary quarterback has. If Brady was in favor of Las Vegas hiring Ben Johnson to be the franchise's next head coach he did a horrible job of getting his way.
Johnson signed on to be the Bears' new head man on Monday. His decision to favor Chicago over the Raiders makes complete sense given the difference in the two quarterback rooms. The Bears have Caleb Williams to work with while it's unclear who the Raiders will deploy under center in 2025 and beyond.
The good news for Raiders fans is that it appears as if Brady's interest in Johnson was overblown. Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports is reporting that Chicago was always the favorite to win the race to hire the former Lions offensive coordinator. The Raiders had a good interview with Johnson but were never in the driver's seat as some reports indicated.
From my understanding — and as I mentioned last week — there was never a point when the #Raiders were the frontrunners for Ben Johnson, per sources. They had an interview that went really well, but Chicago was the early favorite in this process, and they finalized it today. https://t.co/5fHoTppiUK
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 20, 2025
Tom Brady's influence needs to work on better on next Raiders coaching target
It will be interesting to see how the Raiders respond to the disappointment of losing out on Johnson. Expect rumors to pop up quickly about the next hot offensive mind Brady might have an interest in bringing in. Johnson was not the only offensive coordinator favored to get a head coaching job in this offseason cycle.
Las Vegas might ultimately need Brady to flex his influence to get a highly qualified candidate. Their aforementioned uncertainty at quarterback is going to cause offensive-minded candidates to think twice before taking on the challenge ahead of them in Las Vegas. The franchise might be forced to go with a second-tier candidate with upside rather than a more established commodity.
The only good news for Raider Nation now is they can stop dreaming about Johnson coming in to inject life into their offense. His decision to head to Chicago should send the fan base and Brady into a new direction very soon.
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