The One Thing the Raiders Have to Offer Ben Johnson That the Jaguars Don't

Over the last few days, there has been increased momentum for star Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to land one of the NFL's open head coaching gigs -- just not the one anyone thought.

There was a general sense of surprise for many when it was reported that Johnson would interview in Las Vegas; it had been widely reported since last spring that Johnson would be especially selective when taking head coach interviews, after all. And to many, the Raiders job looks like a geniune rebuild without a quarterback in place.

But when looking at the difference in the Raiders job and the Jaguars' job -- and the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots jobs -- there is one clear difference that could mean the world to Johnson.

The difference being a vacancy in the general manager role. Johnson has long been rumored to seek alignment in the front office, and the Raiders are the only team in the running for Johnson that didn't also retain their front office leaders.

Minority owner Tom Brady reportedly had major influence in the Raiders' decision to fire general manager Tom Telesco, and the reasoning for Telesco's firing appears to be as simple as the Raiders want to put their head coach and general manager on the same timeline and in lockstep.

Brady made a smart and calculated move on that front, especially if Johnson's top priority is to walk into a setting where he can have a hand in forming in the front office. For many coaches, the ability to enter a job at the same time as a general manager is the preferred approach.

In this year's head coaching cycle, though, not many jobs are offering that chance. The Raiders certainly are, which could give them a potential edge over any of the other teams in the running for Johnson.

"My response would be how would you improve it and then if it is credible, you want to do it. How does the structure work?" Khan said on Monday when asked what his repsonse would be to a coach who wants to make changes to the front office.

"I want to make sure that this isn’t about ego or power or something more sinister quite frankly. There have been some of those elements that I have found in my experience in the NFL. If it’s a legit effort to get better, then everything should be on the table.”

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