Generally speaking, one of the benefits of parting ways with a head coach in the middle of the season is that it gives a club a head start on the search for its next HC. The Raiders, though, do not plan on capitalizing on that opportunity. Las Vegas is currently being run by interim head coach Rich Bisaccia after Jon Gruden‘s resignation in October, but Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports hears that team owner Mark Davis has not started the search for Gruden’s permanent replacement and may not do so until after the season.
It has been something of a difficult year for Davis. The Raiders got out to a 5-2 start, but the Gruden resignation — circumstances surrounding which infuriated Davis — and the departures of 2020 first-rounders Henry Ruggs and Damon Arnette cast a pall over the organization. Still, Davis has been pleased with how his club has responded to the adversity, and after a big win over the Cowboys on Thanksgiving snapped a three-game losing streak and put the Raiders back into the AFC playoff picture, he is not keen to focus on anything other than wins and losses at the moment.
One source told La Canfora that Davis, “isn’t ready to go there yet. He’s not ready to launch a coaching search. That’s not where he is.”
Davis can probably afford to be patient here. The Las Vegas coaching gig is a highly desirable one, so even if he waits until the end of the season to begin his HC search in earnest, Davis still has a good chance to land his top choice, whoever that happens to be. Indeed, La Canfora reports that interested candidates have proactively reached out to the organization, only to be rebuffed.
In addition to making a call on the next head coach, Davis will also need to decide GM Mike Mayock‘s fate. The most recent news on the matter indicated that Mayock — who reported to Gruden in the club’s previous, unorthodox power structure — has a legitimate chance to retain his job, though it’s fair to wonder whether a top-tier head coach will want to partner with a holdover general manager.
Smart move to wait months before looking for a new HC! Davis is living off his dad’s name and the NFL charity (they paid a pretty penny for that stadium). Another wasted franchise.
Davis want’s to prolong the drama before announcing that Hue Jackson is making a comeback.
Even if Davis is considering retaining Bisaccia it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to wait.
Maybe he’s waiting to decide to wait on mayock and if he’s fired then let the new guy pick his own HC
Mayock should have been gone already too.
It’s hard to know what to make of Mayock as a GM, though. I believe he was a glorified scout under Gruden, and Gruden made every personnel decision. I’d be okay if they gave Mayock some time to see if he can truly be a good GM or not.
Mayock and Busaccia deserve another year together without the extra pressure this year generated to see how the Raiders do. Go from there…
Agreed. No franchise can succeed under these current circumstances. I’m not saying Bissacia is the answer- he probably isn’t but the team is more talented than one that needs a complete tear down. I’d be more in favor of hiring a VP of football operations from outside the organization and then see what it needs. The team lacks structure more than anything, which is what happens when all the power goes to one man (Gruden.) I imagine if Bellichek abruptly resigned mid season, they wouldn’t be firing on all cylinders either. And no I’m not saying Gruden is Bellichek, just saying it’s similar structures.
What Davis needs to find is a new barber.
He actually has a barber he pays to do that lmao. He looks like the cult father who shackled his 23 kids to their beds
There’s nothing left for a GM to do this season, there’s also no reason to let him go mid season. He’s basically being paid to watch college football now.