The Raiders will interview Commanders assistant general manager Lance Newmark for their GM post today, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It was reported just a few days ago that Newmark had a “leg up” on the competition for the Las Vegas job even though the club had not yet formally requested an interview as of the date of that report.
The timing of the interview could be telling. Newmark spent 26 years as a Lions scout/executive before leaving for Washington last year, and as Schefter notes, he has a strong relationship with Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn (both of whom have already interviewed virtually with the Raiders). Since the Lions lost to the Commanders in last night’s divisional round bout, both Johnson and Glenn are free to have sit-down interviews with any team, a development that could set off a chain reaction of coaching hires around the league.
The Bears and Jaguars reportedly remain in the Johnson sweepstakes, though there have been increased rumblings connecting the coveted OC to the Raiders. Schefter’s ESPN colleague, Jeremy Fowler, reiterates that the prospect of a Newmark-Johnson tandem in Las Vegas has been gaining traction in league circles. That is particularly true since Johnson has made plain his desire for “alignment” with whatever GM he works with, a desire that may have made Tom Telesco a one-and-done GM with the Raiders.
Newmark has already met with the Jets about their vacant GM post – he interviewed for the same position back in 2019 before Gang Green hired Joe Douglas – and while he lost out on the Lions’ most recent GM search to Brad Holmes, he remained in Detroit as the team’s senior director of player personnel before being poached by the new Washington regime. The success that the Lions have had over the past several seasons and the success that the Commanders have enjoyed this year have obviously boosted Newmark’s credentials.
Courtesy of our GM search tracker, here is the current status of the Raiders’ pursuits:
- Chad Alexander, assistant general manager (Chargers): Interviewed; to conduct second interview 1/20
- Brandon Brown, assistant general manager (Giants): Interviewed; to conduct second interview 1/20
- Lance Newmark, assistant general manager (Commanders): Potential frontrunner?; interviewed 1/19
- John Spytek, assistant general manager (Buccaneers): To interview
- Jon-Eric Sullivan, director of player personnel (Packers): Interview requested
- Sheldon White, director of pro scouting (Steelers): Interview requested