Of the 50 players drafted under McKenzie, only nine are on the Raiders' active rosterGETTY IMAGES
Raiders coach Jon Gruden was the only member of the team to address the media immediately after GM Reggie McKenzie's firing, which he called "somewhat surprising," according to Matt Kawahara of the S.F. CHRONICLE. Gruden said on whether McKenzie's departure was the decision of Owner Mark Davis, "We all work for the same man." Gruden "dismissed the idea" that he and McKenzie did not get along. With McKenzie out, Gruden said that Raiders Dir of College Scouting Shaun Herock will "assume more responsibility in personnel matters." When McKenzie was first hired by the Raiders prior to the '12 season, he "inherited a team coming off an 8-8 season but with serious salary-cap issues and no first- or second-round picks in his first draft." McKenzie's "best draft" came in '14, with picks like LB Khalil Mack and QB Derek Carr. However, of the 50 players "drafted under McKenzie, only nine are on the Raiders' active roster" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 12/11). ESPN.com's Paul Gutierrez noted many "wondered whether McKenzie," who was the '16 NFL Exec of the Year, would "still fit in the organizational flow chart" when Gruden was hired in January. Gruden said that he was not sure if he would be "involved in the interview process for McKenzie's replacement." He also said that he would not reveal any potential successors because he does not "know of any" (ESPN.com, 12/10). THE ATHLETIC's Vic Tafur noted Gruden did "give Herock some praise" as he assumes more responsibility with the team. Other names "being thrown around league circles" to replace McKenzie include former Bucs GM Mark Dominik, ESPN's Louis Riddick, former Lions Senior Personnel exec Jimmy Raye III and former Colts VP & GM Chris Polian (THEATHLETIC.com, 12/10).
GRINDING IT OUT: THE ATHLETIC's Tim Kawakami wrote Gruden is the one who "decided at the start of the season that McKenzie had to go and he's the one who telegraphed the move by criticizing McKenzie's last few drafts and hinting about a major rebuilding process." Gruden's "shocked -- shocked! -- response was just a bit of meta theater." Kawakami: "We all knew he made this move, he knew we knew he made this move, everybody in the organization knew he made this move." Gruden was "always going to bring in his own guys and he probably never was a long-term fit with McKenzie" (THEATHLETIC.com, 12/10). In Las Vegas, Ed Graney notes Davis' next GM will "undoubtedly be someone Gruden approves of and over whom he will have final say" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 12/11). In S.F., Scott Ostler writes the "buck has to stop somewhere, and the guess here is that it stops with Gruden, and will do so unless the new person comes in at a higher salary." The current GM void "leaves Gruden as king of draft selections." Davis was "not groomed for the job of owning the team and is still learning on the fly." He "needs a strong football front man, which is typically the role" of the GM. Ostler: "Now the team either won't have a general manager, or will have a GM lite" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 12/11). ESPN's Mike Golic said the Raiders "don't talk about hiring a new GM, the talk is of hiring another executive because Jon Gruden is running the show." ESPN's Mike Golic Jr. added, "If you're not with Jon Gruden and you're not someone that Jon Gruden wants around, you're not going to be there very long" ("Golic & Wingo," ESPN Radio, 12/11). NBCSN's Peter King said Gruden "wants to know every decision that's made in personnel." King: "He is not a separation of church and state guy" ("PFT," NBCSN, 12/11).
STARTS AT THE TOP: USA TODAY's Jarrett Bell writes the buck "stops with Davis." Bell: "It was his call to blow it up after finally luring Gruden out of the TV booth, his call to pay millions to discarded coach Jack Del Rio and ultimately his call to strip you of whatever power you held, handing it over to Coach Chucky" (USA TODAY, 12/11). NBC Sports Bay Area's Scott Bair: "As well as [McKenzie and Gruden] got along personally, there was clearly a disconnect on how they wanted to lead this Raiders team into the future." NBC Sports Bay Area's Kelli Johnson said of the now vacant Raiders GM position, "Who wants to come into this situation knowing that you probably may have a title as the general manager or maybe they give him a different title, but you won't have the power of a general manager. This is clearly Jon Gruden's team" ("The Happy Hour," NBC Sports Bay Area, 12/10).
WRITING ON THE WALL: NBC SPORTS BAY AREA's Bair wrote Gruden and McKenzie "didn't work great together, or for very long." After Gruden's hire, McKenzie's "role had fundamentally changed, and Gruden was allowed to assemble the roster he saw fit." Those decisions "included trading or cutting McKenzie's draft picks at every turn." It was "clear that McKenzie wouldn't be around for the long haul" (NBCSPORTSBAYAREA.com, 12/10). ESPN's Chris Mortensen said that since Gruden was hired, McKenzie has been "more or less a lame duck" ("Monday Night Countdown," ESPN, 12/10). NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said McKenzie's firing is "something that everyone knew was coming with Jon Gruden essentially building a separate scouting department in his own building." Rapoport said that the "actual working relationship" between Gruden and McKenzie was "not horrendous." He said, "From what I understand it basically was Jon Gruden telling McKenzie, 'This is what I want to be done'" (NFL Network, 12/10).
