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We know what you’re thinking: The Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday fired general manager Tom Telesco two days after firing head coach Antonio Pierce.

Speculation Leads To Bill Belichick

And everyone is drawing a straight line from the moves to Bill Belichick.

Because the Raiders themselves drew a line to Belichick earlier this week when Tom Brady talked to his former coach about coaching in the desert.

We get it. It smells.

But club and NFL sources are insisting this is not the Raiders clearing the decks to have Belichick extricate himself from his University of North Carolina coaching job and bring his minions with him to Las Vegas.

No, really.

Mike Lombardi, a close Belichick confidant who is now working for Belichick at UNC as the football program’s general manager, went on the Pat McAfee Show on Thursday and called the Belichick to the NFL rumors “a complete falsehood.”

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 12: Head Coach Bill Belichick of the North Carolina Tar Heels speaks to the media during a press conference on December 12, 2024 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Raiders Want A Fresh Start

The Raiders instead view this as a fresh reset of leadership.

Yes, again.

This is the beginning of the Brady consultation era in Vegas. This will be the beginning of the coach and general manager again being aligned from the start.

The Raiders privately say Telesco was fired, so the club will not be forcing something of a “shotgun wedding” between him and the next coach. This, by the way, was the way owner Mark Davis preferred it and the way Brady agreed was best.

One more thing: The Raiders will be interviewing Detroit Lions quarterback Ben Johnson. They are one of four teams the hot assistant coach has agreed to speak with so far.

DETROIT, MICHIGAN – DECEMBER 15: Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson of the Detroit Lions looks on in the fourth quarter of a game against the Buffalo Bills at Ford Field on December 15, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

Those teams are: The Raiders and Patriots on Friday and the Bears and Jaguars on Saturday.

It’s possible the Raiders view giving Johnson say, although not veto power, on the general manager choice could help them close a deal if that’s the direction they’re wanting to take – especially considering they cannot offer a young potential star at quarterback on the roster like the other three teams.

Telesco’s lone draft class had a generally positive impact in 2024. It included offensive rookie of the year candidate Brock Bowers.

But, ultimately, he failed to provide Pierce – and himself, as it turns out – a starting quarterback who might give Davis hope that the franchise was headed in the right direction.