There is “a lot of momentum building” for Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be hired by the Las Vegas Raiders as their next head coach according to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Every team with a head coaching vacancy except the Jets seems to have Johnson at the top of their wishlist but Raiders owner Mark Davis has reportedly been focused on him since firing Antonio Pierce after one season.  Tom Brady is now a part-owner of the Raiders, and the legendary quarterback is said to have vouched for Johnson to become the team’s next head coach. There have been numerous reports that Raiders owner Mark Davis wants Brady to have a heavy influence in the team’s search for a new coach.

The Lions are still in the playoffs, so the Raiders would have to be patient if they want to hire Johnson. If they choose to wait without having any strong indication that Johnson wants the job, they would run the risk of missing out on other candidates.

Detroit is the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a favorite to reach the Super Bowl, which means it could be several weeks before Johnson would be able to reach any formal agreement with Las Vegas.

The Raiders have also been linked to Deion Sanders, but it seems like the Hall of Fame defensive back could merely be trying to create leverage in extension talks with Colorado.

Johnson has been very selective about the head coaching jobs he is willing to consider, choosing to return to the Lions the past couple of seasons.  He may well decide to do that again.  And it is hard to fathom why he would choose the Raiders over his other suitors as the team does not have a franchise quarterback in the building.  Stay tuned.