Here’s one name to watch when Raiders begin coaching search

The Raiders will open their head coach and general manager jobs to an extensive search no matter what happens the rest of the season.

That process could lead back to interim coach Antonio Pierce and interim general manager Champ Kelly at the end, but the the team is expected to consider some big-time names.

One candidate gaining some traction for the coaching job is former Stanford coach David Shaw, according to league sources.

Shaw stepped down at Stanford following the 2022 season after spending 12 years in charge of the program and the previous four as a Cardinal assistant under Jim Harbaugh. Shaw concluded his time in charge as Stanford’s all-time leader in wins with 96. His tenure included eight straight winning seasons, three Pac-12 championships, three Rose Bowl appearances and two Rose Bowl wins.

The Cardinal slipped over Shaw’s last four seasons. Stanford had a losing record each year, including back-to-back 3-9 finishes in 2021 and 2022. The downturn coincided with dramatic changes to the college football landscape, like the introduction of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. That created new challenges for the academically acclaimed Stanford, which has one of the lowest acceptance rates in the country.

New Southern California coach Lincoln Riley, by comparison, used the portal and NIL to add more than 30 transfers before his first season in 2022. That included Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams and a future first-round pick in wide receiver Jordan Addison. The Trojans used the new influx of talent to improve from 4-8 in 2021 to 11-3 in 2022.

Shaw’s time in college followed a nine-year spell as an NFL assistant. It is widely known in league circles he is interested in exploring NFL head coaching opportunities. Shaw interviewed for the Broncos coaching job that went to Sean Payton last offseason.

Shaw also has a connection to the Raiders, having been one of the team’s assistants from 1998 to 2001. The Raiders were interested in hiring Shaw as their coach in 2015, but he wanted to remain at Stanford. The team hired Jack Del Rio instead.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow@VinnyBonsignore on X.