Patrick Graham’s options are completely open at the moment. He is among a handful of hot names for a number of head coaching opening, including the Jaguars who requested to interview him, but since his contract is up with the Raiders, he can pretty much whatever he wants without the Raiders permission.
The Bengals have reached out to Graham requesting to interview him for their defensive coordinator job according to ESPN’s Tom Pelissero.
The #Bengals plan to interview #Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham today for their DC job, per source.
Graham is also a candidate for the #Jaguars head coaching job. But his contract is up in Las Vegas and he has permission to interview for DC jobs now. pic.twitter.com/le350DGCec
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 7, 2025
This is a lateral move for Graham, but it puts him in a good position to ensure he puts himself in the most favorable spot.
Most times a DC comes available, it’s because he was part of a staff that was let go or he was fired. In this case, he is coming off a couple seasons where he is one of the more respected DC’s in the league.
The Raiders could have some competition for his services, which is a good spot for Graham to be in to ensure a favorable outcome. There are many factors that could go into his decision, including if he thinks the could just end up unemployed this time next year with the rest of the Raiders staff.