Dan Pitcher has an important connection to Las Vegas.
It is official that the Cincinnati Bengals will be without Brian Callahan for 2024, as he has been hired as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans.
The typical thought is that the Bengals have a clear in-house replacement candidate, and they do in quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher.
However, it might not be as easy as it may seem in this case, as he still has scheduled interviews with the Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints, and Carolina Panthers.
Pitcher already has several other interviews, and while none of them have Joe Burrow or the familiarity he has built with the team, several of these will offer Pitcher play-calling duties, which he will never fully have under Zac Taylor. This could be a deciding factor for him which would make it tough for the Bengals to maintain him.
Something bigger than that, however, about the Raiders is the presence of Marvin Lewis. New head coach Antonio Pierce has brought on the former Bengals head coach as an advisor. Pitcher was originally hired by Marvin Lewis to Cincinnati, and that was when he was given his first coaching opportunity. He was originally a Division III college QB and then spent a couple of years as an Indianapolis Colts scout before Lewis eventually hired him to his first pro coaching role.
It is not a guarantee that Pitcher will still feel enough loyalty to Lewis to leave Cincinnati, where he has been for the last seven seasons. But combine that with potential play-calling duties, and the Bengals could have more competition to keep Pitcher than expected.
The front office staff needs to do everything they can to keep Pitcher in Cincinnati.
Read more