The Las Vegas Raiders are searching for their replacement for former head coach Antonio Pierce, and momentum has been building recently for that replacement to possibly be Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
More than one NFL insider has suggested that the Raiders hiring the hottest head coach candidate out there is a real possibility. Now, a former player claims to have the inside scoop on who Las Vegas is going to hire.
During a guest spot on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday, former NFL cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones said his sources are telling him that the Raiders will hire Johnson.
“Because sources says that Ben Johnson is gonna be the Raiders’ coach,” he said. “Like, real good sources. Like, I’m talking about like real good sources, as we shall say.”
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The Raiders landing Johnson was once thought to be unthinkable and, in fact, he was not even going to take an interview with the Raiders but decided to do so after minority owner Tom Brady convinced him to through back channels.
Since then, Johnson to the Raiders has picked up serious steam, something NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport addressed recently.
“The people who are associated with the Raiders job, I’m talking other candidates, I’m talking agents, people are the NFL, there does seem to be an acknowledgement that Ben Johnson is the leading candidate [in Las Vegas] and there a lot of people who, frankly, think he is getting it,” Rapoport said.
“They are not done. They certainly have not done the requirements that would allow them to hire a coach and he’s not even able to be officially hired until after the season. But it does seem like that is the direction that it is headed,” he added.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter did throw some cold water on the Johnson to Raiders hype on Friday, saying that he wasn’t convinced it’s happening yet. But Schefter’s comments were speculation, not a report.
“I know everybody has Ben Johnson anointed to the Raiders but I’m not in that camp right now,” Schefter said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I’ll have to believe it before I see it.”
“I don’t know where he’s going to go, but he’s going to have, I think, three realistic options. But why is everybody ignoring Chicago when it comes to Ben Johnson? Why has that been dispelled?” Schefter asked.
We obviously have to take Jones’ “report” with a grain of salt considering he isn’t one of the traditional news breakers. However, it’s just a little more smoke to the fire that Johnson might end up in Vegas.
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