There will be a time and place
When Patrick Graham was retained by new Las Vegas Raiders coach Pete Carroll as the defensive coordinator, there was a lot of discussion and speculation that perhaps the Raiders and Graham have a deal that he will be the successor to Carroll as the Raiders’ next head coach whenever that may be.
Again, it was all speculation, but the idea was plausible.
The Raiders don’t to have a firm plan for the post Carroll era yet.
From listening to Carroll — who will be the 74 in September and will will be the oldest NFL head coach in history in his first game as the Raiders’ leader — it is clear he is not focused on when he is going to leave this post. He has a three-year contract with a team option for a fourth season. It’s apparent that Carroll’s mindset is fulfilling that commitment and perhaps beyond.
We asked out readers if they would want Graham to be tabbed as the clear successor to Carroll.
In a poll with 507 votes cast, 343 voters (68 percent) suggested there’s no rush to name anyone anything in the post-Carroll tenure, while 164 votes (32 percent) think it’s a good ides to appoint Graham as the next head coach of the franchise.
I agree with the majority.
Also, Graham is probably not interested in being overly patient when it comes to becoming a head-coach. He has interviewed for head-coaching jobs the past two offseasons. He probably decided to come back to Las Vegas and work under Carroll because he thinks it can help him get a head-coaching job quickly, perhaps as soon as in 2026.
Also, there is no need to make plans for down the road now, Anyway, let’s see how things work. Let Carroll and Graham work together in 2025 and let the future sort itself out when the time comes.
