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Former Las Vegas Raiders TE Jason Witten.
The Las Vegas Raiders have a history of bringing in older veterans who are legends on other teams. One of the more recent examples of that was when the team signed tight end Jason Witten.
He is synonymous with the Dallas Cowboys, as he played 16 years with the franchise. Though his last season was with the Raiders, he did sign a one-day contract with the Cowboys before retiring.
After his retirement in 2021, he was named the head coach at Liberty Christian School in Argyle, Texas. Witten led the program to multiple championships, and now he has decided to make the jump to the college game.
Oklahoma announced that Witten has been hired as their new tight ends coach. He didn’t play college ball at Oklahoma, but Argyle, Texas, isn’t very far from the school, so they’ve likely got an up-close look at the success he’s had at Liberty Christian School.
Witten seems to have a very bright future in the coaching world. Oklahoma is one of the top programs in college football, so it’s a great spot for him to get his foot in the door. Considering how much success he had as a head coach in high school, he’s likely looking to keep moving up the ranks.
Raiders Undergoing Another Coaching Change
Considering how often the Raiders change head coaches, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Witten was on their radar in a few years. For now, they are undergoing another head coaching search after firing Pete Carroll.
Since 2002, the Raiders have had 12 different head coaches. The team with the second most head coaching changes is the Cleveland Browns, which has had nine. Las Vegas can’t afford to get it wrong again.
Where Does Raiders Coaching Job Rank?
There aren’t that many head coaching jobs that open up, but the Raiders could be looked at as toxic by candidates. The team hasn’t been patient at all and just had back-to-back coaches go one-and-done.
The Raiders were fortunate to get the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, as it makes the job a bit more appealing. It’s a big reason why Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report ranked the Raiders as the fifth-best opening.
“Of course, that last part is also a sizable problem, because having the first pick in the 2026 draft means the Raiders were the league’s worst team in 2025,” Davenport wrote. “There are some building blocks on the roster in players such as tight end Brock Bowers, running back Ashton Jeanty and edge-rusher Maxx Crosby. However, the Raiders were dead-last in the league in total offense last year and 25th in scoring defense a year ago. There is work to be done on both sides of the ball.
“And with Las Vegas playing in a division with the Denver Broncos, the Los Angeles Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs, engineering a quick turnaround won’t be an easy task.”
The Raiders have a lot of potential, but they haven’t been patient with any head coaches. This time around, they have to really commit to the vision that the coach they hire has.
Austin Boyd has covered the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com since 2019. A Los Angeles native now based in Las Vegas, his featured work at Heavy includes interviews with NFL stars Darren Waller and Joe Montana, and a behind-the-scenes look at “The Shop.” More about Austin Boyd
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