Downing's unique journey leads to job as Raiders offensive coordinator

Share

Todd Downing took a long, winding road to become the Raiders offensive coordinator.

He started work in the NFL as a public relations intern for Minnesota before moving into the football side of things under Mike Tice, the current Raiders offensive line coach who was then Vikings head coach. He worked as a systems analyst and quality control coach.

He spent time as a quality control coach on both sides of the ball before landing a job as Detroit Lions quarterbacks coach in 2011. He held that position in Detroit and Buffalo before manning that post in Oakland, where he fostered a great relationship with Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. He’s well respected for his work in Oakland, with a wide base of knowledge from several different offensive schemes.

Downing will now take over as Raiders offensive coordinator, the next step in his rise up the coaching ranks. He talked about his coaching career on a Dec. 30 edition of the CSN Raiders Insider Podcast.

“It’s been an incredible experience, my journey thus far,” Downing said then. “Hopefully it continues to develop and last for a lot longer, because I love what I do. Going from an intern to bouncing around different departments and then finally cracking my way into coaching was interesting. Then going over to the defensive side of the ball and coming back to work with quarterbacks, which is where my passion is, it’s been incredible.

"I feel like I’ve developed a well-rounded sense of this game, the business of it and the scheme of it. It’s been a very unique journey, and it’s helped me get a full understanding of what it takes to be around a winning culture.”

Contact Us