With Mike Vrabel officially and somewhat predictably heading to the New England Patriots, the Las Vegas Raiders and various other teams who had their sights set on Vrabel will now be forced to pivot to new targets in their coaching searches. It turns out, the Raiders are wasting very little time setting up an interview with another defensive minded candidate who has head coaching experience in his past.
Per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Raiders have requested to interview Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph for their head coach opening. Apparently they weren't deterred by a subpar effort against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
The magic worked by veteran head coach Sean Payton and Rookie of the Year candidate quarterback Bo Nix rightfully received the majority of the headlines throughout the season in Denver, but lost in the excitement that the Mile High City has officially found their quarterback of the future was the fact that the Broncos boasted one of the league's very best defenses in the NFL, and that defense was crafted by Vance Joseph.
Only five years removed from having been the team's head coach, Joseph returned to Denver in 2023. The Broncos went just 11-21 in Joseph's short two year tenure, which rightfully cast some doubt on what kind of head coach he could be, but his chops as a defensive coordinator have rarely been called into question. Apparently the Raiders believe that enough time has passed that it's worth giving the 52-year-old another look at head coach.
The Raiders aren't the only team who are inquiring about Vance Joseph's interest in a head coaching job. After striking out in the Mike Vrabel Sweepstakes, the New York Jets are also hoping to schedule an interview with the Broncos defensive coordinator at some point this week. The Chicago Bears are also rumored to have interest in interviewing Joseph.