The Las Vegas Raiders could already have a favorite to be head coach next season with interim head coach Antonio Pierce winning over the locker room. However, a big name like Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh could change things.
If the veteran coach is looking to return to the NFL, the Raiders are one of the teams that have been linked to him. Regardless, there will be competition for his services. CBS Sports Jordan Dajani predicts that the New England Patriots could battle the Raiders for Harbaugh, which could lead Las Vegas to use a secret weapon.
“Enter the Las Vegas Raiders and the Patriots,” Dajani wrote in a January 5 column. “Has Antonio Pierce done enough to earn the full-time job in Vegas? Yes. Will the Raiders immediately hand it to him? Probably not. As for the Patriots, it’s anticipated Belichick won’t be in the fold one way or another, and I’ve already sent him to Washington above.
“[Tom] Brady’s status as a Raiders minority owner has not been finalized yet, but it potentially could be this offseason. The Michigan grad will go to work recruiting Harbaugh, but so will Robert Kraft. Brady and the Patriots will go head-to-head for the first time off the field in a dramatic recruiting battle that will ultimately be for naught, as Harbaugh remains at Michigan.”
Raiders owner Mark Davis respects Brady’s football mind and he may be the one person who could convince Davis to move on from Pierce.
Las Vegas Raiders Should Be More Appealing to Jim Harbaugh
The Patriots haven’t been one of the teams commonly mentioned when talking about Jim Harbaugh. After over two decades of Bill Belichick, it seems like they may want to go with a younger option. It’s also difficult to see the appeal for Harbaugh.
Belichick may go down as the greatest head coach ever but his failures as a general manager have left the roster bereft of talent. They’ll have a top-five pick to add a quarterback but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done. The Raiders also need a quarterback but their roster has much more talent.
They have playmakers on offense like Davante Adams and Jakobi Myers while they also have one of the best defensive players in the NFL in Maxx Crosby. Plus, Harbaugh has previous ties to the Raiders as he got his NFL coaching start with the franchise as the quarterbacks coach back in 2002.
Los Angeles Chargers Are Biggest Competition for Jim Harbaugh
The Patriots aren’t even the team the Raiders should be worried about if they decide to pursue Jim Harbaugh. The Los Angeles Chargers are much stiffer competition. Their head coaching job is already open and they have their quarterback in place with Justin Herbert.
Though they have some big roster issues to fix this offseason, they’ll have a top-10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and already have the most important position figured out. Plus, Harbaugh has coached in Southern California before as he was once the head coach at San Diego. Considering the Raiders share a division with the Chargers, that could be enough motivation for the team to go hard after Harbaugh.
Austin Boyd has covered the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com since 2019. A Los Angeles native now based in Las Vegas, his featured work at Heavy includes interviews with NFL stars Darren Waller and Joe Montana, and a behind-the-scenes look at “The Shop.” More about Austin Boyd
