Is Jon Gruden pushing Reggie McKenzie out from the Oakland Raiders?
By Matt Conner
Jon Gruden is seizing all power and control of the Oakland Raiders, per reports, which means Reggie McKenzie has to be feeling the pinch.
The Oakland Raiders went all-in on Jon Gruden. It was only a matter of time until “all-in” began to reach, well, all areas of the team.
The Raiders hired Gruden to be their new head coach to the tune of a 10-year, $100 million contract, a mammoth deal that spun analysts in circles wondering why and how in the world any franchise would pony up that sort of money and security, especially for a guy who’s been distant from the sideline and locker room for so long, as Gruden had.
Nevertheless, the Raiders were in love with the idea of Gruden and it didn’t take long for him to put his stamp back on the team he used to coach. That stamp continues to grow with two recent reports.
- Current Washington Redskins exec Bruce Allen was being floated as a potential addition to the Raiders front office or executive staff. Two things are clear to everyone in the NFL: 1.) Allen and Gruden are friends and, 2.) Allen is horrible at his job. (For just some idea, see here, here, here and here.) It should be noted that Allen is denying any movement for now.
- Mike Freeman’s blistering report out Tuesday that Gruden has basically taken over all aspects of the Raiders organization.
"Since joining the Raiders in January, Gruden has quietly consolidated power to the point where he’s effectively the head coach, general manager, CEO and just about everything else. No other coach in the NFL has this kind of power outside of Belichick."
This being the case, exactly how long will Reggie McKenzie be able to stand his position. Is he really in lockstep with Gruden? How many general managers are actually happy with a reduction in influence, control and/or power? How ambitious is McKenzie? Will he stand up to Gruden? Will he leave out of frustration? Will the Raiders fire him?
Alex Marvez says the Raiders are expected to clean house in their front office after the draft. Perhaps that means McKenzie’s decision will be made for him.
This is, of course, all speculation at this point, an idea 10 steps away from anything based in reality right now, but it would be interesting to see where McKenzie could land if he was to be released from his duties with the Raiders.
With his son, Kahlil McKenzie, added as a recent member of the Chiefs draft class and with his intimate knowledge of the AFC West, it could be fun to consider McKenzie as a potential partner in the Chiefs front office. Brett Veach even mentioned his respect for McKenzie’s work in a recent press conference after the draft.
"“I have a tremendous amount of respect for his father. I think he’s a great evaluator, great person, certainly, he’s been doing this a long time,” said Veach."
Next: 5 Post-draft Trade Targets for the Chiefs
The trajectory of the Raiders, good or bad, is certainly going to be a major plotline to watch this upcoming season. Whether Reggie McKenzie will be watching it internally play out or from the outside remains to be seen.