The Las Vegas Raiders were an absolute dumpster fire over the course of 2025.
After a horrendous 3-14 season, it was the least likely of shocks to see Vegas make head coach Pete Carroll a one-and-done figurehead, firing him on Black Monday and opening the door to what'll be yet another extensive rebuild out in the desert.
It was evident Carroll wasn't jiving with first-year general manager John Spytek, who likely wanted to usher in a lengthy roster reconstruction in the wake of the franchise's notorious history of cycling through head coaches. The aging Carroll probably didn't want to oversee such a lengthy rebuild and frequently opted to play veterans over younger talent despite Las Vegas' own floundering on a week-to-week basis.
Either way, it was a disaster.
With few overly promising head-coaching candidates available this offseason, could the Raiders look to their former Bay Area rivals and attempt to pluck defensive coordinator Robert Saleh away from the San Francisco 49ers?
Absolutely.
Vegas honed in on Saleh last offseason, attempting to reunite him with Carroll and potentially granting free access to become the latter's heir apparent. Saleh declined, of course, opting to rejoin the Niners after his 2024 head-coach firing by the New York Jets.
But, could Las Vegas' next offer be too good to pass up?
Raiders have the best shot to lure Robert Saleh away from 49ers
Saleh has made it clear he wants to be a head coach again, although he also understands his next gig is likely to be his last chance after flaming out in New York. As such, he won't exactly be looking at franchises known for high coaching turnover and instability.
The Raiders fall into that bucket, unfortunately.
That said, there may be a lot to like about Vegas' opening. If Saleh is given a lot of power within the organization, that'd be a good start. And with Tom Brady reportedly having more influence on the franchise's future, stability might actually be on the horizon.
There are more reasons to entice Saleh, too.
For starters, Vegas owns the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. It can either grab the best player available, which is never a bad idea, or it could trade down to the best suitor in order to stockpile much-needed draft capital in an attempt to completely revamp the roster. On top of that, Las Vegas has over $100 million in projected cap space this year (third most in the NFL), meaning there's some free-spending initiatives on the table.
Saleh might be the go-to, too, to ease relations between the Raiders and disgruntled Pro Bowl pass-rusher Maxx Crosby, a defensive centerpiece, which could play a vital role in an offer as well.
So, from those vantage points, the idea of Vegas hotly pursuing Saleh (and him potentially accepting) isn't as far-fetched as it might seem.