What head coach candidates can Las Vegas Raiders hire after NFL Conference Championships?

With the New England Patriots beating the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks taking down the Los Angeles Rams during the NFL’s Conference Championships, the Super Bowl XL matchup between the Patriots and Seahawks is officially set. That impacts the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach search since the Raiders have been interviewing candidates from the Seahawks, Rams and Broncos.

Per the league’s rules, Las Vegas can meet with and hire any coach from Los Angeles or Denver, since those clubs have been eliminated from the playoffs. The team has interviewed Rams’ offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, defensive coordinator Chris Shula and passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, as well as Broncos’ quarterback coach/passing game coordinator Davis Webb. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Silver and Black are expected to meet with Webb for a second interview at some point this week.

Additionally, the Raiders can hold a second interview with Seahawks’ offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak this week, since candidates who are playing in the Super Bowl can meet with other teams during the bye between Conference Championship weekend and the big game. The interview with Kubiak can be in-person, per the NFL’s rules, but the Raiders can’t officially hire him until after the championship.

Also, interviews this week can only be second interviews, which means Las Vegas has an advantage over the Buffalo Bills if the Bills are interested in Kubiak. Buffalo didn’t fire head coach Sean McDermott until after their Divisional Round playoff loss in Denver, and couldn’t interview candidates who had a game this past Sunday. So, the Bills would have to wait until after the Super Bowl to meet with any coach from the Seahawks’ or Patriots’ staffs.

Speaking of Buffalo, Joe Brady, the team’s offensive coordinator, was in Las Vegas for a second head coach interview, according to Schefter.

Former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is also reportedly still in the running for the Raiders’ opening despite agreeing to be the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive coordinator this week. McDaniel is still seeing if he can land a head coach job, and if not, he’ll be the Chargers’ OC next season. He, Kubiak and Webb seem to be the Raiders’ top three options based on the video below from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

In Other Raiders’ Links:

• Difficult not seeing Raiders take Fernando Mendoza: “Yes, while we’re very early in the offseason — namely the Raiders don’t even have a head coach yet — and the draft is a mere twinkle in everyone’s eye even in late January — the event takes place from April 23 to 26 in Pittsburgh, after all — it’s difficult to see the Silver & Black not taking the much ballyhooed prospect,” Silver and Black Pride’s Ray Aspuria wrote.
• Brian Daboll to interview: throwing another name into the mix, the Raiders met with the former New York Giants head coach this weekend.
• Tom Brady might have tipped hand: “Anyone who watched the heavyweight bout between the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night heard Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady basically tell everyone his new head coach,” Justin Churchill of A to Z Sports wrote. “Klint Kubiak, the offensive coordinator of the Seahawks, is a prime candidate for the Raiders’ head coaching position.”
• Bills also interested in Webb: Unlike with Kubiak, Buffalo can meet with Webb this week since the Broncos got eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday.