Before the Detroit Lions can even play their first 2025 playoff game, teams continue to pursue coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn for vacant head coaching positions. Of them, the Las Vegas Raiders are reportedly emerging as strong candidates to land Johnson as their next head coach.

One week after firing Antonio Pierce, the Raiders have seemingly closed in on Johnson as their top option, Vincent Bonsignore of Vegas Nation reported. In the week since Pierce's firing, Johnson was one of the three candidates the Raiders interviewed on Jan. 10.

“A lot of things lining up and pointing to Ben Johnson to the Raiders,” Bonsignore tweeted. “Nothing surprises me in this league, though. Some really good coaches have a chance to change things when they interview.”

Glenn was also interviewed by the Raiders, as was Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Las Vegas also conducted a conversation with former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, whom rumors state is eyeing a return to the NFL.

Bonsignore noted in an additional tweet that he believes the job is Johnson's to have with Carroll as the team's backup hire. The Raiders will reportedly consider the opinion of co-owner and seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady.

Along with the Raiders, Johnson has also been linked to the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars. Glenn has been firmly linked to the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints.

Raiders seek fifth head coach in 10 years

Jan 5, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce watches from the sidelines against the Los Angeles Chargers in the first half at Allegiant Stadium.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Regardless of the preliminary search results, the Raiders appear to desire a quick replacement for Pierce. The franchise has experienced significant turnover at the head coaching position for over 20 years.

Since Art Shell led the franchise from 1989 to 1994, Las Vegas — then located in Los Angeles, and eventually in Oakland until 2020— has not had a head coach for more than five years at a time. Jon Gruden and Bill Callahan both had successful stints but were shed by the organization for separate reasons.

Since 2015, the Raiders have had four separate full-time head coaches. Jack Del Rio and Rich Bisaccia were the only ones to post winning records in that time in 2016 and 2021, respectively. Even then, Del Rio was fired one year after his 12-4 season and Bisaccia — who was the interim head coach in 2021 following Gruden's resignation from his second stint — was not retained.

The next hire will be the organization's fifth full-time hire since 2015. Owner Mark Davis has an even bigger decision to make at general manager after firing Tom Telesco shortly after releasing Pierce. Both Telesco and Pierce were in their first years with the team.