Already meeting with the Bears and Jets during this HC interview cycle, Ron Rivera will conduct a meeting with another HC-needy franchise. The Raiders are meeting with the former Panthers and Commanders HC, SI.com’s Albert Breer reports. The interview will take place today.
Rivera spent this season out of football, marking his first away from the game since 1996, but is interested in continuing his career. While an assistant job could certainly also be a gateway for the experienced coach to jump back in, he is now involved in three teams’ HC searches.
The Raiders appear to have identified a clear frontrunner, in Lions OC Ben Johnson, but the coveted candidate is also still interested in the Jaguars’ position. Although Las Vegas may well be preparing a big offer to a rather picky candidate, Jacksonville has a setup that already includes a franchise-caliber quarterback — in Trevor Lawrence — and in a much weaker division compared to where the Raiders stand.
A weak division was responsible for Rivera’s only playoff berth in Washington, with a Dak Prescott season-ending injury clearing the road for a 7-9 team to book a playoff berth. While Rivera kept Washington’s operation afloat in 2021 and ’22, the Commanders bottomed out in 2023 by going 4-13 and losing their final eight games. Ownership appearing to overrule Rivera and Co. on a Montez Sweat trade did not help, and the Commanders made a curious decision — considering how hot Rivera’s seat was — to center their 2023 plan around Sam Howell.
Now 63, Rivera is certainly on the older end among this year’s HC candidates. The Raiders have, however, met with Pete Carroll, who is now 73. Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo, 65, also interviewed for this position. With Johnson also still on the Bears’ radar, backup plans may need to emerge for the teams that do not land the hotshot Detroit assistant. Rivera would be one, though third-chance HCs are not overly common in recent NFL history. Rivera did better work with the Panthers during a nine-season tenure, guiding the team to its second Super Bowl and booking three more playoff berths — one involving a 7-8-1 2014 squad — during his tenure.
It is certainly possible Mark Davis‘ quick-trigger firings involving Josh McDaniels and Antonio Pierce will impact this Raiders search, Tom Brady‘s involvement notwithstanding; no Silver and Black HC has lasted more than four seasons since Art Shell‘s first tenure. Rivera was still an NFL player during most of that stint, and at his age now, being the candidate to buck the modern Raiders trend with a long-term stay would be unlikely. It will still be interesting to see if Rivera can secure a third opportunity in Vegas, Chicago or New York.