This past January, after parting ways with Antonio Pierce, the Las Vegas Raiders made a big splash by hiring Pete Carroll to become the 24th head coach in franchise history. And less than two weeks later, they made yet another big splash, announcing the signing of Chip Kelly as the team's new offensive coordinator.
Given Carroll's age and the fact that Kelly's contract made him the highest-paid OC in the NFL, many believe Kelly was hired to someday be Carroll's successor. But that's no longer an option, as Kelly was fired on Sunday following the Raiders' 24-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
The move is undoubtedly justified, as Las Vegas is tied for last in the NFL in points per game (15.0), 30th in total yards per game (268.9), 31st in rushing per game (79.5 yards), 30th in offensive EPA (minus-77.8) and 28th in red zone efficiency (48.1%). But it's still a bit shocking, even for the Raiders.
Now, of course, the search begins for a new OC, and our pal Brad Berreman at Just Blog Baby believes Los Angeles Chargers wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal could be a prime candidate to take Kelly's place.
"Lal is in his second season on Jim Harbaugh's staff in Los Angeles, but his candidacy in Las Vegas is rooted in where he was in three of the previous four seasons," Berreman wrote. "Carroll hired Lal as a senior offensive assistant for the Seahawks in 2020.
"After a year away with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he was brought back to Seattle by Carroll as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach. Lal's first of two seasons in the latter role, 2022, coincided (for whatever it's worth) with the best season of Geno Smith's career.
"Of course, Lal is only a candidate if Carroll remains in Las Vegas. But on the idea that happens, as awful as that would be based on what has happened this season, the coordinator job won't be all that appealing. So, Carroll will likely have to hire someone he knows well and can convince to take the gig."
Chargers WR coach Sanjay Lal has legitimate ties to the Las Vegas Raiders
Oddly enough, it was the Raiders that gave Lal his first job in the NFL, as they hired him as an offensive quality control coach in 2007, a role he held for two years before spending the next two as the team's wide receivers coach.
A wide receiver during his playing days, first at UCLA and then with the Washington Huskies, Lal then served as the WR coach for the New York Jets (2012-2014), Buffalo Bills (2015-2016), Indianapolis Colts (2017), and Dallas Cowboys (2018-2019) before, as Berreman mentioned, joining Carroll in Seattle in 2020.
Lal has naturally been a popular assistant among Chargers fans, as he aided in the development of Ladd McConkey, who had a monster rookie campaign under Lal's tutelage a season ago, setting franchise rookie records with 82 receptions for 1,149 yards, with seven of those catches going for touchdowns.
Given current Bolts OC Greg Roman's longtime connection to head coach Jim Harbaugh, Lal obviously won't get a shot to climb the ladder in Los Angeles unless Roman leaves, which could very well happen, as his name has been mentioned as a possible head coaching candidate for years, both at the collegiate and NFL levels. But if Roman stays on, it would be difficult for Lal not to seize the opportunity with the Raiders if it arises.
Las Vegas already tried to poach Lal once, requesting to interview him not long before hiring Kelly to be the Raiders' pass game coordinator and WR coach, only to have that request denied. So, it'll certainly be interesting to see if they request to speak with him a second time in the near future.