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After a fourth straight year of missing the playoffs, it might be time for the Las Vegas Raiders to do another front-office shake-up. The team has done a very bad job in free agency over the last two years and while the 2019 draft class looks decent, 2020 looks really bad so far. General manager Mike Mayock does deserves some slack considering he’s only heading into his third year as an NFL executive. That said, the Raiders should bring him some help.
One name to keep an eye on is Washington Football Team executive Kyle Smith. The team’s vice president of player personnel is reportedly on his way out and will be looking for a new job. According to Chris Russell of 106.7 The Fan, the Raiders are among the team who are interested in Smith.
Head coach Jon Gruden should have some pretty good insight on Smith. His brother Jay was the head coach in Washington from 2014 to 2019 and will likely relay any information that the elder Gruden might want to know.
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Raiders May Have Looked at Smith for the GM Job Before Hiring Mayock
This may not actually be the first time the Raiders have shown interest in Smith. After the team fired former general manager Reggie McKenzie in 2018, rumors popped up that the team could hire Bruce Allen as a replacement. However, those rumors proved to be unfounded but according to Rusell, the team did take a look at Smith.
“Jon Gruden [didn’t] want Bruce Allen. Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen had a falling out,” Russell said. “Jon Gruden did not trust Bruce Allen.”
“There was an executive that he was looking at,” he added. “It was Kyle Smith.”
If what Russell is saying is correct, it sounds like the Raiders are familiar with Smith. Considering he needs a new job and Las Vegas needs help, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he joined the front office.
Smith Would Be an Intriguing Hire
Smith isn’t a household name but he could become one soon. He was Washington’s director of college personnel from 2017 to 2019. During that time, he helped oversee the draft picks of players like Montez Sweat, Terry McLaurin, Cole Holcomb, Antonio Gibson, and Kamren Curl, who have all become solid contributors to the team.
He was also reportedly against the Dwayne Haskins pick, per Sports Illustrated. Not only was he against it, but he also fought hard to try and stop the pick. He was clearly right about that as Haskins didn’t even play two full seasons in Washington before getting cut.
Smith is quite young for an executive at 36-years-old but he’s building a reputation for himself. He very well could be a general manager within the next couple of years. The Raiders could be wise to bring in a bright young mind like Smith. Mayock will still be the man in charge but there’s nothing wrong with surrounding yourself with intelligent people. Perhaps he could help fix the Raiders’ free agency and drafting woes.
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