Silver Minings: Bill Belichick blocked assistant coach from interviewing with Raiders

It’s no secret that the Las Vegas Raiders have been trying to pluck Bill Belichick’s brain and create their own version of “the Patriot way” this offseason.

After hiring Josh McDaniels as head coach, Mick Lombardi as offensive coordinator and Carmen Bricillo to be the offensive line coach, the linkage between New England and Las Vegas is strong. Even new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and a handful of front office executives like general manager Dave Ziegler have spent time working for Belichick and the Pats.

However, ‘The Hoodie’ wasn’t going to let everyone walk out the door as he blocked tight ends and fullbacks coach Nick Caley from interviewing with the Raiders, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

Tight ends coach Nick Caley’s role seems to be a little in flux. I’d expect he’ll have more responsibility in ’22. The Patriots blocked Caley from talking to the Raiders, and his role in New England this fall could dictate whether he stays put or goes to Las Vegas in ’23.

The NFL prevents teams from blocking its assistant coaches from interviewing for coordinator positions but “lateral” moves can be prevented, so McDaniels was likely looking to bring Caley on for a similar role to his current one. But, it sounds like Breer thinks the door is open for him to head to the desert next offseason.

Caley is also a John Carroll alum and has been coaching with the Patriots since 2015, meaning the connection between him and McDaniels is probably pretty strong.

In other Raiders Links:

• Bleacher Report thinks Clelin Farrell should seek trade: “He’s all but buried on the depth chart, and with new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham set to utilize more three-man fronts, Ferrell is just flat-out a bad fit,” writes Gary Davenport.
• Starting offensive line combinations: Six combos the Silver and Black could deploy for Week 1 this year.
• Chandler Jones’ arrival: Vegas will find out early if the addition of a pass rusher pays dividends, via our Ray Aspuria.
• Hunter Renfrow breakout fantasy candidate: “Davante Adams will demand looks along with Darren Waller, but Renfrow is a talented player who could see the field more than any time in his career with Josh McDaniels leading this offense,” per PFF’s Dwain McFarland.