The NFL coaching carousel is spinning and so are your questions. Let’s get you some answers …
From TB EGO (@TomBradyEgo): How much influence will Tom Brady really have in the Raiders next Head Coach search?
Tom Ego, good question, and a fun one to dive into.
Honestly, I think he already has had an impact, as someone capable of drawing candidates and flipping perception of the franchise. I don’t think Tom Brady’s going to put his name on something he can’t be proud of, and I know the idea has quietly been relayed to people that the “New” Raiders are going to tear down some old perceptions about the team.
One key guy in the transition, as I’ve heard it, will be Silver Lake CEO Egon Durban, whose purchase of 7.5% of the Raiders was approved on Dec. 11. Durban’s got very deep pockets, and his resources, paired with Brady’s star power, could quickly change some old and long-held notions about the team. My sense is Durban is motivated to get involved (other teams certainly feel that way) and help Mark Davis turn things around.
Now, how involved will Brady be day-to-day? That much I don’t know. He was very invested in his broadcasting job this year, and his work there will make it challenging to be involved in the coaching search over the coming weeks. I think at some point down the line, he’ll want to be a bigger part of running the team, but I don’t get the sense from people who know him that he’s ready to dive all the way in yet. That said, again, it’s fair to say his impact is already being felt.
From Khali Young (@49ers_hnic): Will Nick Sorensen get fired as 49ers DC?
Khali, well, you have your answer now.
I’d keep an eye on ex-Niners defensive coordinator Robert Saleh for this one. Kyle Shanahan’s now been through three defensive coordinators since Saleh left in 2021, with one leaving for good reasons (DeMeco Ryans) and two shown the door (Steve Wilks, Nick Sorensen). It’s also worth noting that Shanahan wished he’d just given the job to Sorensen after the 2022 season, which could cause him to shy away from another first-timer.
Bottom line: Saleh checks a lot of boxes, and has relationships with captains Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, which would help him energize the group quickly. Maybe Saleh interviews somewhere and lands another head-coaching job. If not, he could do worse than land back in San Francisco. And Shanahan himself brought up Brandon Staley, the ex-Chargers coach who was dynamite in his one year as a defensive coordinator with the Rams.
From Dustin Martin (@DustinMartin02): Couple names to watch for Titans GM?
The one to watch, I think, is Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi, who has a strong relationship with Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker. Two others that I’d put in that category, carrying relationships with Brinker and credentials for the job, would be Packers VP of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan and Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham.
I think one of the biggest questions for those involved will be whether this is a “real” GM job, and I’d say … almost. To me, I think what the Titans are going for here sort of mirrors where the Rams were in their early days in Los Angeles—with Kevin Demoff as the over-the-top COO (only, in this case, Demoff had oversight over the business side of the team that Brinker won’t), and Les Snead as a GM overseeing personnel.
Is that enough to lure guys like Borgonzi or Sullivan or Cunningham? Or will some view the job as more of an assistant GM type of role? Time will tell.
From Daryl Ingram (@ingramdaryl31): Who should Colts fans keep an eye on to replace Gus Bradley?
Daryl, I think, and this is just me talking, they’ll be looking for someone who’ll make Indy more difficult to play against on a down-to-down and game-to-game basis. Against Gus Bradley, who’s an excellent fundamental football coach, they became a little too bland playing a simpler scheme predicated on players playing fast.
One name that could be interesting to look at is Wink Martindale—the ex-Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants and Denver Broncos defensive coordinator who’s now at Michigan, and whose scheme is now all over the NFL. After a year sharpening and simplifying, his system in college has benefited him, and the opportunity to make things work again in the pros could entice him.
Similarly, if Rex Ryan wants back in, and you can make sure he’s up on the game the way he’ll need to be after that amount of time out, he’d be someone to talk to. And Steve Wilks is another one with a boatload of experience who could take over that side of the ball.
From Mike Fox (@michaelfox1972): What do the Giants do with the third pick?
Mike, they’ll work diligently on the quarterbacks, as they have already. They’ve had multiple live exposures for their top-end execs to Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Miami’s Cam Ward, Georgia’s Carson Beck, Texas’s Quinn Ewers, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, and Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart (all but Nussmeier have come out), and have done plenty of work on Penn State’s Drew Allar, too.
Bottom line, everything they want to know about those guys, they will know. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll wind up drafting one of them.
This class isn’t even the 2023 class, let alone last year’s class—within which there were three quarterbacks who’d go first overall in ’25. Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t dig one out. In 2017, a lot of teams punted on the class, looking forward to a bumper crop in ’18. And ’18 was one, producing four of the 14 quarterbacks set to play in the postseason (Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold). But the teams with top-10 picks and a need for a QB that chose to wait also wound up passing on Patrick Lavon Mahomes II.
So it’s up to the Giants (and Titans and Raiders) to see if one of these guys is worth a premium pick.
From terribleToph (@terribleToph): Why does Ryan Poles hate the bears???? why tf we interviewing 2,000 people for head coach.
For the life of me, Toph, I can’t understand why people are against extensive interview processes. The one I like to cite is the Chargers—they interviewed 15 guys for their head-coaching job, nine for their GM job, and still landed on Jim Harbaugh and a GM from his background in Joe Hortiz. The Spanos family will tell you that they’re better and, just as important, better equipped to support Harbaugh and Hortiz after helming a full process.
Running a full operation is more complicated than ever. There are more ideas in the game, good and bad, than ever. Getting more exposure to all of it, to make yourself better, isn’t a bad thing.
From Pro Football Demon (@ProFootbllDemon): Would the Jets allow Vrabel to essentially pick his own GM and if so wouldn’t that make them a leading contender for his services over New England?
Pro Football, those are two questions.
First, yes, I believe the Jets would allow for Mike Vrabel to lead the process to pick his own general manager, if they were hiring him as coach. That is part of their plan regardless—to interview GM and head coach candidates, find the best guy, and then build around that guy, whether it’s a coach or personnel executive, to achieve alignment. I think it’s smart, too.
But I think after Vrabel’s experience in Tennessee, and with ownership there, who the owner is will be a big deal to him. And Woody Johnson’s reputation is Woody Johnson’s reputation, whether you think that’s fair or not.
From doug mccready (@dgmccready): The Lions showed that their defense isn’t as bad as most thought. Can they continue this or did we catch lightning in a bottle Sunday night?
Doug, one, they’re getting healthier. The injured linebacker corps isn’t going to get back to full strength, with Malcolm Rodriguez out for the year, but they’re closer. The young defensive backs played well the other night. They’ve made it work up front, with two absolute monsters, in Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill, out.
And they’ve made it work because Aaron Glenn has done an incredible job. On Sunday night, the Lions stuck Amik Robertson on Justin Jefferson (with help), trusted the linemen and linebackers to defend the run out of light boxes (with five and six defensive backs on the field), and mixed up coverages to mess with Sam Darnold and give the rush time to get home. The players, in turn, delivered for him.
And all this should get better if the Lions get healthier (cough, cough … Hutchinson) over the next five weeks.
From Joey Bag of Donuts (@joeybagovdonuts): How long are the Steelers going to tolerate Mike Tomlin not winning playoff games or is he ‘coach for life’?
Joey, this is an interesting question. To be clear, I love Mike Tomlin. But for the sake of it, how about we do a blind résumé test here …
Coach 1: 18 seasons, 174-112-2 (.608) in the regular season, 12 playoff appearances with an 11–11 postseason record, one Super Bowl title, four conference title game appearances.
Coach 2: 18 seasons, 183-107-2 (.630) in the regular season, 18 playoff appearances with an 8–10 postseason record, one Super Bowl title, three conference title game appearances.
That’s pretty close, right? Well, the second coach, obviously, is Mike Tomlin. The first is Mike McCarthy, who’s perceived much differently. And has been fired once and may be in the process of losing another job. So, again, love Tomlin, has done an incredible job … and 18 years is a long time. I can’t blame Steelers fans if they have big picture questions about the franchise needing a new voice. I wouldn’t pull the plug, but it wouldn’t be that crazy.
From Chimdi Chekwa (@ChimChek): Where does Vrabel actually end up?
Chimdi! Well, a few weeks ago, might have said he’s coming home to Columbus.
My guess would be New England.
From Steven Haglund (@StevenIHaglund): Why isn’t Joe Hortiz getting more love for executive of the year? Cleaned up a pretty messy cap situation, got a ton of value out of veteran deals, nailed the draft, and has traded for/signed several players after training camp who have made strong impacts for them.
Steve, I agree. Hortiz has been a home run as a partner for Harbaugh and deserves more credit. But that’s part of the deal there—it’s Harbaugh’s show, and I don’t think Hortiz minds flying under the radar much, given how things are going.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mailbag: Tom Brady Already Impacting Raiders’ Coaching Search.