The journey Patrick Graham has gone through this offseason is quite unique. At one point, he appeared to be the favorite to land the then-available Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching job. Then, Liam Coen returned to the scene after originally backing out of the running to claim that title. And with that, Graham is currently in the process of returning to the Las Vegas Raiders on a deal that, as of right now, hasn’t yet been finalized.
There’s not enough that can be said about what Graham has done in Sin City. For the first time in a decade, the Raiders are a team that hangs in games thanks to their defense. For the first time in two decades, since the NFL’s 2002 season, the Silver and Black’s defense ranked top-15 in both least yards surrendered and least amount of points given up under Graham.
In two straight seasons, the Raiders’ defense ranked top-15 in lowest total yardage allowed. That’s a feat the team hasn’t accomplished since their ’98 and ’99 campaigns.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Patrick Graham has been the most effective defensive coordinator the Raiders have had since the turn of the century.
Assuming everything goes as planned – which certainly does not mean it will, as Las Vegas has proved in the past – Graham will be returning to Sin City to command the defense he’s coached so well. For Maxx Crosby, who’s been quite vocal about coaching turnover in recent weeks, this is sure to be music to his ears.
It also bodes well for the seven members of 2024’s starting defense who are now free agents. Perhaps a few will be keen on returning to the Raiders in light of this development.
Patrick Graham: The second Las Vegas Raiders coordinator to [potentially] return to Sin City
The news of Graham’s probable return comes mere hours after the team elected to retain special teams coordinator Tom McMahon.
McMahon, like Graham, was hired by now-former Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels. The two have now made it through three separate regimes in Las Vegas, going strong while the man who originally brought the two to the desert is long gone.
McDaniels didn’t do too much right in Vegas, but his coordinator selections continue aging like fine wine.
Typically, when a new coach from outside the organization comes on board, they’re looking to hire their guys. However, that isn’t the case for Pete Carroll, who made it clear he wasn’t looking to clean house.
Instead, both Carroll and his general manager John Spytek were open about their desire to retain multiple coaches. The pair has stuck to their word, attempting to bring back two of the Raiders coordinators from their ’24 campaign.
Now, with two coordinator positions [hopefully] figured out, attention will begin shifting to the offensive side of the ball. That’s a job that remains a free-for-all, although long-time Carroll affiliate Darrell Bevell is believed to be the current favorite.
*Top Photo: BVM Sports
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