The Las Vegas Raiders are targeting the Detroit Lions‘ offensive coordinator to be their next head coach at the Allegiant Stadium as Tom Brady personally makes a push to sign Ben Johnson, just days after Bill Belichick said no.
An underwhelming 2024 season saw the Raiders finish 4-13 and last in the AFC West. Despite having no solid quarterback as well as losing their star wide receiver, they were the only side in the division who failed to win five or more games so Antonio Pierce quickly lost his job.
The Nevada-based team wanted to line up the 72-year-old Belichick but he elected to go to the NCAA with the North Carolina Tar Heels and isn’t keen to break his contract to head to Sin City so Brady and co are moving on.
Related:
- Super Bowl 2025: date, time, halftime show and everything you need to know
- Where to watch the 2025 Super Bowl? TV channel and streaming where you can watch the game
- Super Bowl 2025 Halftime Show: Everything you need to know about Kendrick Lamar’s show
- Super Bowl Winners List: All the teams that have won the Super Bowl by year
- Gatorade Color Super Bowl: Odds, history and more about the traditional Gatorade bath
Their target is the man who oversaw 564 points through the regular season and created an offense allowing Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown to thrive as the Lions finished 15-2 and led the NFC Conference for the first time in history.
The news comes as per Ian Rapoport as the NFL insider described the ex-New England Patriots‘ quarterback as ‘enamored’ with Johnson‘s efforts at Ford Field as the Lions look to make the Super Bowl for the first time ever.
Raiders send 2025 warning to Kansas City Chiefs
Brady currently owns a five percent stake in the Raiders after finally being allowed to purchase shares in the organization, with initial objections on the grounds of his decade-long media contract with FOX Sports as an analyst.
He was eventually approved by the other NFL owners and now plans to catapult the team to their first Super Bowl ring since 1983 and their first since they decided to abandon Oakland and the Coliseum to head to Las Vegas.
Yet whilst they seem a million miles away after trailing the Kansas City Chiefs by 11 wins in the AFC West in only a 17-game season, Maxx Crosby admits the challenging 2024/25 campaign will give them the mettle needed for a future championship challenge.
“2024 was one of the hardest of my life for many reasons but I wouldn’t change it for nothing,” Crosby wrote via X.com, formerly Twitter. “Trials & tribulations from start to finish but I know it all happened for a reason.
“It always gets hardest before your biggest come up & I refuse to back down. 2025 will be the best year yet & I’m manifesting it.
“Every single day, one day at a time, brick by brick. Through it all we stand tall & continue to dominate & ball at even higher levels. 2025 Will Be ICONIC.”