The only part of the Raiders that was really working this season was the defense. That was especially true once head coach Josh McDaniels was fired and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham was given the chance to do things his way.
Over the final nine games of this season, Graham led the best defense in the league.
This success put him on the radar for teams who were looking for new head coaches this offseason.
There were reports of two teams that interviewed Patrick Graham ifor their head coach opening — the Chargers and Seahawks.
The Chargers had their sights set on Jim Harbaugh and got him. The Seahawks — who even called Graham back for a second interview — took longer to fill the job.
Today, they got their man.
The Seahawks named former Baltimore Ravens DC Mike MacDonald their new head coach.
MacDonald led the best defense in the league over the entire season in Baltimore. So, the Seahawks clearly had a type. It was just a matter of waiting for the Ravens to finish with the playoffs, which they did last Sunday when they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.
This leaves just one remaining head coach opening in the NFL. That’s in Washington where they had their sights set on Lions OC Ben Johnson before he said ‘thanks, but no thanks’ and decided to run it back in Detroit after a run to the NFC Championship game.
What this could mean for the Raiders and Patrick Graham is that his best option is to stick around with head coach Antonio Pierce and see if they can continue to have one of the league’s top defenses next season.
That’s certainly what the Raiders are hoping is the case.