Raiders’ coaching search: Will Josh McDaniels be in play?

So far, the Las Vegas Raiders’ coaching search has taken a back seat to the search for a new general manager which, of course, makes sense.

Thus, the only reported interviews for the head coach in Las Vegas are interim head coach Rich Bisaccia and New England inside linebacker coach Jerod Mayo. San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans is reportedly going to interview with the Raiders after the NFC championship game Sunday.

However, one of the names that has been speculated about often is New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. There has been a lot of smoke in league circles about him and the Silver and Black in recent days. Still, nothing concrete has occurred.

A Las Vegas pursuit of McDaniels would be extremely interesting. He is a polarizing coaching figure and there would surely be some positives and some concerns regarding his fit with the Raiders.

McDaniels lasted less than two full seasons as the head coach of the Denver Broncos in 2009-10. He started his head coaching career (at the age of 32) with a 6-0 record, but then ended his Denver tenure at 11-17.

Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

His time with the Broncos was rocky. He feuded with Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler and traded him away before coaching his first game in Denver. He clashed with other players, as well, and the Broncos were caught filming a San Francisco practice in London before a game. Also, he took a lot of heat for drafting quarterback Tim Tebow in the first round in 2010. Four years ago, McDaniels left the Indianapolis Colts at the alter after agreeing to be their head coach, instead he opted to stay in New England with Bill Belichick.

Many people around the league thought McDaniels may never get another chance to be a head coach. None of the other seven teams with an opening this cycle have asked to interview him. Of course, McDaniels, now 45, has a great reputation as an offensive mind and he could help the Raiders.

His chances of becoming the top target in Las Vegas may depend on who is the next general manager of the Raiders. If New England’s Dave Ziegler gets the job, it could enhance McDaniels’ chances. If Ed Dodds gets the job, McDaniels’ chances may get complicated — Dodds was in Indianapolis when McDaniels spurned the Colts, upsetting the entire organization.

For now, it’s simply an interesting rumor. Let’s see if it develops further,