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The Las Vegas Raiders are coming off just their second playoff berth in 19 years. Interim head coach Rich Bisaccia did an admirable job but the team must do a coaching search to satisfy the NFL’s Rooney Rule. It’s up in the air if Bisaccia will get the full-time job but he’ll get a chance.
In the meantime, owner Mark Davis has finally decided to open up the coaching search. According to Adam Schefter, the Raiders have requested permission to interview New England Patriots inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo for the head coach opening. Another interesting tidbit is that the team is also requesting to interview Patriots director of player personnel Dave Ziegler for the general manager job.
Mayo is a logical interview as he’s already been looked at by a number of other teams with head coach openings. He is one of the hottest assistants in this current cycle and it’s very possible he’s a head coach in the coming weeks. However, Bill Belichick’s assistants have rarely had success as head coaches. We’ve seen Matt Patricia, Josh McDaniels and Joe Judge fail spectacularly as head coaches. Bill O’Brien and Brian Flores had some success but were both fired in recent years. Perhaps Mayo can buck the trend. The Raiders have had defensive issues for years and Mayo was a two-time Pro Bowl linebacker before helping Belichick craft the No. 2 scoring defense in the NFL this season.
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Mike Mayock Hasn’t Been Let Go Yet
The most interesting thing to come from Schefter’s report is the Raiders’ interest in Ziegler. The team has yet to make a decision on current general manager Mike Mayock yet. It’s unprecedented for a team to start interviewing general manager candidates while they already have one in place.
This is certainly an odd choice by Davis. It sounds like he’s not entirely convinced that Mayock is or isn’t the right guy. It’s no secret that Mayock answered to Jon Gruden prior to his resignation. The Raiders have made some terrible draft and free agent decisions in recent years. If Davis believes those decisions were made by Mayock, then he’ll likely fire him. However, if he believes that Gruden was responsible for a lot of those decisions, his chances of keeping the job increase.
Ziegler Is De Facto GM for Patriots
The optics of possibly interviewing Ziegler while Mayock is still technically employed by the team are odd but it makes sense why Davis would be interested. Ziegler is the de factor general manager for the Patriots. Just a year ago, the team missed the playoffs and didn’t have a lot going for it. Ziegler worked closely with Belichick, who controls personnel, and they crafted a strong roster that led New England to a playoff berth despite starting a rookie quarterback.
He’s spent nine years in the scouting department for the Patriots and is certainly qualified to become a general manager. If the Raiders want to move on from Mayock, Ziegler would be a strong choice.
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