The Las Vegas Raiders coaching search has become one of the league’s biggest storylines over the last week, as the franchise has interviewed a plethora of candidates and has become one of the most popular head coaching vacancies.

Though the Raiders are interviewing a bunch of candidates and will do their research before naming their next head coach, it’s clear that Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is the franchise’s No.1 target. Las Vegas is reportedly “enamored” with Johnson, and minority owner Tom  Brady has also played a key role in the Raiders’ pursuit of the 38-year-old.

Johnson is the most sought-after head coaching candidate currently on the market, and according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Johnson to Las Vegas seems destined to happen, per sources around the league.

“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 reported on Wednesday on NFL Network. “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.”

From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: The #Lions have two coordinators who should get head coaching jobs this offseason. What’s next for Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn? pic.twitter.com/KtGqLTRhrk

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 16, 2025

The Raiders landing Johnson as their next head coach would be a franchise-altering move. The South Carolina native took over as the Lions offensive coordinator in 2022 and has revived quarterback Jared Goff’s career while being an integral part of Dan Campbell’s culture shift in Detroit.

Though there is still a lot of time before Las Vegas makes a decision on their next head coach, it seems the franchise is in a really good position to land the NFL’s most promising offensive mind.

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