Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will interview for the Raiders head coaching job.
According to NFL Network’s insider Ian Rapoport, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will interview for the Las Vegas Raiders head coaching job. Could the Broncos defensive coordinator join their hated divisional rivals?
The #Raiders have requested to speak with #Broncos DC Vance Joseph for their HC opening, sources say. He has multiple slips this cycle and more could be coming. Denver had a top 5 defense and led the NFL in sacks.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 13, 2025
As 9NEWS Denver’s Mike Klis notes, Joseph will interview for the New York Jets head coaching job sometime this week via a Zoom call. So, this is now the second head coaching job Joseph will interview for during this hiring cycle.
The Raiders are in search of a new head coach once again after they fired Antonio Piece after one full season with the team. He took over as the interim head coach the year prior and showed enough to get brought back, but after one disappointing season, the team decided to move on. Now, future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady who is a part owner of the Raiders, has a significant say in who the Raiders will hire to be their next head coach. Could Brady’s first head coaching move be hiring Vance Joseph away from the Broncos?
Joseph’s tenure as the Broncos defensive coordinator did not get off to a hot start in 2023. The Miami Dolphins dropped 70 points on his defense, which looked historically bad at one point. However, the team turned it around and went on a winning streak in the middle of the season which was fueled by timely big plays by their defense. In year two, expectations were low once again as the Broncos had a young defense that lacked stars outside of All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II. Despite that, the Broncos’ defense overachieved and has been one of the most dominant defenses in the league this season as they led the entire NFL in sacks. Edge rusher Nik Bonitto made the Pro Bowl and Zach Allen, a Pro Bowl snub, also turned into a star. Young players like Riley Moss, Kris Abrams-Draine, and Jonah Elliss all had promising seasons while additions like John Franklin-Myers, Malcolm Roach, Brandon Jones, and Cody Barton became key members of this top-ranked defense. Due to the Broncos’ success on defense this season which exceeded expectations, Vance Joseph figures to be a popular head coaching candidate.
We do need to address the elephant in the room here. Teams are required to interview two minority candidates due to the Rooney Rule. However, if a team does hire that minority candidate, the previous team would receive a third-round compensatory pick for two years as an award for developing a minority candidate. So, if Vance Joseph were to get hired, the Broncos would receive a 3rd round compensatory pick this season and next season.
We’ll see if Joseph interviews for any other jobs moving forward. Right now, the Jets and Raiders are the only two teams to formally request to interview him with the Bears just being linked with possible interest.