The Las Vegas Raiders are going to be an interesting team to keep an eye on over the next few months. Mark Davis will have some tough decisions to make when it comes to who will be his team’s head coach for the next era of football. Antonio Pierce has a strong case to make for the job, but Jim Harbaugh is another name that is being considered a top option for the Raiders.
Harbaugh is widely expected to make a return to the NFL next season. After all of the drama that unfolded at Michigan, he’s likely to leave and seek out a new job. If the Raiders want him, there’s a good chance they could get him.
That being said, the Raiders’ fan base and players have fallen in love with Pierce. He has the interim tag still, but there is a high level of support for him in Las Vegas.
Raiders’ Level Of Interest In Jim Harbaugh Has Been Revealed
According to a new report from NFL analyst Tony Pauline, the Raiders are absolutely interested in Harbaugh. However, there are a lot of potential roadblocks to a marriage between the two parties.
“Our sources say Jim Harbaugh and Mark Davis have had a very good relationship for a while now, and the Raiders would be a natural fit, but several factors come into play. First and foremost is the existing regime of Champ Kelly and Antonio Pierce. Some people in the league believe Davis will keep Kelly and Pierce around if the team finishes strong. As mentioned in this article from Nov. 4, there is a groundswell of support for Kelly within the Raiders organization.”
It certainly makes sense why Davis would have some trust issues giving a head coach full control once again. Having the front office separated from the sidelines definitely has many advantages.
“There’s also the question of Davis being comfortable with the head coach once again being in full control,” Pauline wrote. “It didn’t work out for the Josh McDaniels-Dave Ziegler team, and Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock had a tough go of it on the personnel side. The Raiders have a lot of interest in Harbaugh, yet in the end, it will come down to whoever Mark Davis is listening to and trusts.”
Honestly, the move would also come down to what direction the Raiders want to go. Pierce is a player’s coach who gets a ton of respect and love from his players. Harbaugh demands more from his players and purely focuses on how to win football games rather than how to be close with his players.
That isn’t to say that Harbaugh isn’t close with his players. But, there are two different styles of coaching with these two candidates.
If the Raiders’ main and only goal is to win a Super Bowl, going after Harbaugh makes a ton of sense. On the other hand, if they’re trying to build a new culture and build slower towards a championship window, Pierce makes more sense.
Expect to hear a ton of rumors surrounding the Raiders as the offseason draws closer. Harbaugh will have plenty of potential suitors, but Las Vegas seems like the best potential fit outside of possibly the Los Angeles Chargers.