A pending free agent, Vikings QB Sam Darnold's chances to land with the Raiders may have gotten a boost with the hiring of Pete Carroll.

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell has some of the traits that turn pros into living legends, and he's close to one in particular.

The NFL head coaching vacancies are filling up fast. The Chicago Bears scooped up Ben Johnson, the New England Patriots hired Mike Vrabel, the New York Jets got Aaron Glenn and mo

But, historically, Pete Carroll is close. Carroll ... The 73-year-old from San Francisco was in his third season as the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive backs coach when Mike Macdonald was born. If hired, he would be the oldest coach in NFL history.

The Las Vegas Raiders found their replacement for Antonio Pierce on Friday, hiring Pete Carroll as their new head coach, according to ESPN's Adam

The NFL head coaching vacancies are filling up fast. The Chicago Bears landed Ben Johnson, the New England Patriots hired Mike Vrabel, and the New York Jets got Aaron Glenn to fill their vacancies.  That's three of the seven openings filled.

The poll predicted Darnold will be the quarterback of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025. Although they have yet to hire a head coach, the Raiders will be in the mix because they have the money to acquire Darnold.

Carroll is the most proven commodity of the bunch, and a guy Brady’s Patriots faced 10 years ago in the Super Bowl. New England won after Carroll’s Seahawks threw the ball near the goal line instead of giving it to running back Marshawn Lynch.

Hughes’ NFL experience includes a two-year stint as the Vikings’ defensive backs coach under Bud Grant in 1982 and 1983, giving him a connection with one of the Raiders’ head coach candidates. Grant retired after the 1983 season, but returned to Minnesota in 1985 and hired Pete Carroll in Hughes’ former position.

Bet365 sportsbook, which doesn’t operate in Nevada, has posted odds on the Raiders’ next coach and lists 11 candidates at odds of 14-1 or less.

The Bears have confirmed interviewing 15 candidates, a list highlighted by Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy and former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel, who got the job in New England.