Raiders Rumors: Patrick Graham Blocked from Taking DC Interview with Another Team

As the Las Vegas Raiders continue to decide what they are going to do at head coach, they don't seem to want to lose defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Raiders blocked another team's request to interview Graham for their vacant defensive coordinator position.

Rapoport noted the decision was likely made so the Raiders can "give the head coach they hire the right to decided on inherited staff members."

It's unclear which team put in the request to interview Graham. The Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants and Washington Commanders are teams with a vacancy at defensive coordinator.

The Commanders fired head coach Ron Rivera on Monday, so they will likely want to fill that position before hiring coordinators.

Some teams have a head coach who also serves as the de facto defensive coordinator, like the Buffalo Bills with Sean McDermott and New England Patriots with Bill Belichick.

Matt Eberflus serves as the defensive play-caller for the Chicago Bears, but Rapoport reported on Wednesday he will likely hire a true defensive coordinator for next season.

Graham has made himself a highly-valued member of the Raiders coaching staff over the past two seasons.

This season, in particular, may have featured Graham doing one of the best coaching jobs by any coordinator in the NFL. The Raiders were expected to have one of the worst defenses in the league coming into the year.

"If the Raiders don't finish as a bottom-10 defense, coordinator Patrick Graham should demand a raise. This unit is just short on talent," The Ringer's Sheil Kapadia wrote in August.

Based on that assessment, Graham can demand a significant raise on his next contract. The Raiders ranked ninth in the NFL in points allowed and 12th in pass yards allowed per game.

Antonio Pierce finished the season as Las Vegas' interim head coach. He took over after Josh McDaniels was fired on Oct. 31. The Raiders responded by going 5-4 in nine games with Pierce steering the ship.

There has been no indication at this point if Raiders owner Mark Davis will take the interim title off Pierce, though he told ESPN's Paul Gutierrez after Sunday's season finale against the Denver Broncos he was "really excited" about the job the 45-year-old did.

Graham joined the Raiders before the 2022 season after it was initially thought he would be returning to the New York Giants on Brian Daboll's staff.

Instead, Graham opted to follow McDaniels to Las Vegas after they previously worked together on the New England Patriots coaching staff from 2012 to '15.