The Raiders were already looking for a new head coach, and after firing Tom Telesco, they’re looking for a new general manager as well.
The team has brought in headhunter Jed Hughes of consulting firm Korn Ferry to join their search process, per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. Hughes coached in college and the NFL for almost 20 years and has since helped multiple teams hire coaches and executives, including the Packers and the 49ers. He will join Tom Brady as a key voice in the direction of the Raiders this offseason.
Hughes’ NFL experience includes a two-year stint as the Vikings’ defensive backs coach under Bud Grant in 1982 and 1983, giving him a connection with one of the Raiders’ head coach candidates. Grant retired after the 1983 season, but returned to Minnesota in 1985 and hired Pete Carroll in Hughes’ former position.
Carroll is a serious candidate for the HC job in Las Vegas, according to Vincent Bonsignore Las Vegas Review-Journal. He has already interviewed for the same job with the Bears. Carroll stepped down as the Seahawks’ head coach last year, but remained with the team as an advisor.
Brady has plenty of his own connections around the league, including a relationship with Buccaneers general manager John Spytek, according to Jones. Spytek was Brady’s teammate at Michigan in 1999 and later helped bring the quarterback to Tampa Bay as the team’s vice president of player personnel. The Buccaneers then won Super Bowl LV in Brady’s first year.
Brady isn’t the only Raiders minority owner who could impact the team’s ability to attract top candidates. Egon Durban, CEO of investment firm Silver Lake, purchased 7.5% of the team in December, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. The persuasive power of Brady’s reputation and Durban’s financial resources could be a key factor in a crowded coaching market this offseason.