A former Eastern player may go from the verge of being fired to being an NFL head coach in less than two years.

Former record-setting quarterback and current Dallas Cowboys assistant head coach/quarterback coach Sean Payton has interviewed with the Oakland Raiders for its head coaching vacancy.

Oakland fired its previous coach Bill Callahan after he went 4-12 season in 2003. Callahan was named head coach at the University of Nebraska last week.

Payton currently holds Eastern records in total offense, passing yardage, attempts and completions while leading the Panthers offense during the 1983-86 seasons.

Payton was unavailable for comment.

The Raiders are also interviewing Cowboys offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon Tuesday.

Cowboys third string quarterback and Eastern’s 2003 Walter Payton Award winner Tony Romo believes he will be back in Dallas coaching him in 2004.

“It looks like he’ll be staying with us,” Romo said. “I think this is just a matter of getting their names out there.”

Romo was realistic and optimistic about his coaches chances of getting a higher profile job in the NFL.

“I think he’s about a year away from getting a different job,” Romo said.

For several seasons, Payton was the offensive coordinator of the New York Giants where he developed a reputation as a topnotch assistant when they went to the Super Bowl in 2001.

“He has the potential to be a head coach and his time will come,” Romo said.

After eight games into the 2002 season, Payton had the play-calling duties taken away from him by coach Jim Fassel. Payton left the Giants at the end of that season for his current position with Dallas.

Raiders team spokesman Artie Giagantino confirmed that Payton was interviewed for the position late Sunday night and all day Monday.

“He has already been here and interviewed,” Giagantino said. “The Raiders are very interested in him for the position otherwise we wouldn’t have invited him here.”

The Oakland organization is trying to keep the head coaching search private to the media but Giagantino said Payton was the third candidate officially interviewed for the job.

However, the Raiders organization declined to comment further.

“It’s a policy of the Raiders to not release that type of information,” Giagantino said.

The first two nominees were former Minnesota Vikings head coach Dennis Green, who has taken the head coaching position at Arizona, and San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Knapp.

Payton’s interview process involved a face to face meeting with owner Al Davis. The Raiders prior general manager Bruce Allen left to be the director of football operations for the Atlanta Falcons this month.

The Raiders have no set time table to find either a head coach or a general manager Giagantino said. However, by interviewing Green they have fulfilled the NFL policy stating they must interview a minority candidate.