Jon Gruden out: Who will be 2022 Raiders head coach?

An early look at potential coaching candidates

The dust hasn’t yet settled from the sudden and shocking ouster of Jon Gruden as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Right now, the team will just try to navigate through the rest of the season and try to overcome this rocky situation.

Yet, inside the building, the team’s brass will put together a plan to move forward so they have a jump on all of the other teams that will be hiring a new head coach in January. That means the Raiders will have a new full-time head coach in about three months after previously expecting Gruden to stay with the organization for the long term.

With the team in Las Vegas, the beautiful Allegiant Stadium and a solid overall roster, this job will be attractive to candidates. In fact, it is the most attractive job opening the Raiders have had in years.

While it is extremely early, here is a list of potential candidates for the job, presented in alphabetical order:

Eric Bieniemy:
He is not only on the top of this list for alphabetical reasons. Bieniemy will be a favorite for this job. It is common knowledge in the league that he should have been a head coach for the past couple of years. He would be a good fit for a potent offense. And weakening the AFC west foe Kansas City Chiefs’ offense in the process would be a bonus.

Gus Bradley:
I don’t think Bradley will be a major candidate, but the Raiders first-year defensive coordinator is well liked in the building and his unit is doing well. If he finishes the season strong, he could get a look. The problem is Bradley was 14-48 as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s an all-time bad record for a head coach.

Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images

Joe Brady:
He is the next hot, young head-coach candidate. Brady, 32, is the offensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers and will be popular in this coaching hiring cycle.

Brian Daboll:
He will have a job in January. He is a top offensive coordinator and he has done a terrific job with the Bills’ offense. He’d be a great get.

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Byron Leftwich:
Mark Davis loves Tom Brady and would likely be interested in hiring a coach who is working with Brady. Leftwich, a former NFL quarterback, is a well-respected offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and he should get interest from the Silver and Black.

Joe Lombardi:
The offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers (and grandson of the legendary Vince Lombardi) will get looks this offseason.

Kellen Moore:
See a trend here? Moore, 33, is another young, offensive coordinator that might fit the Raiders’ mold.

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Doug Pederson:
He is another interesting name. Many people thought he got a raw deal as he was fired by the Philadelphia Eagles three years after winning a Super Bowl. He could be a good fit for quarterback Derek Carr and he has head-coaching experience. Plus, he’d likely jump at the job.

David Shaw:
The Stanford head coach is always on NFL candidate lists. One of these years, he’s going to take a job.

Photo by Michael Zagaris/Getty Images

Dabo Swinney:
We all know how much Mike Mayock loves Clemson. If Mayock is still around in January (which is debatable) perhaps he’d try to coax Swinney out of the college ranks,