Getty Mike Mayock with Rich Bisaccia.
The Las Vegas Raiders began putting in interview requests for general managers on Monday, which was odd considering they had not announced a decision on Mike Mayock. Turns out, the team already knew that his fate was sealed. The Raiders announced that Mayock will no longer be the general manager.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the decision was made “several days ago,” which would suggest that owner Mark Davis decided to move on before the playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals was played.
The Raiders released a statement regarding the firing of Mayock.
“We have relieved Mike Mayock of his duties as General Manager of the Las Vegas Raiders. We thank Mike for his contributions over the last three years in helping to form the foundation for the franchise to build upon in its future,” the statement said.
Perhaps a win over the Bengals would’ve improved Mayock’s chances of keeping the job but it appears Davis was ready to make a change.
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Did Mayock Deserve to Get Fired?
Mayock deserves a ton of credit for helping keep the Raiders afloat this season. He previously had to answer to Jon Gruden regarding personnel moves but had to take control after the coach resigned. He did an admirable job working with interim head coach Rich Bisaccia to help get this team to the playoffs for the second time in 19 years. He also deserves credit for finding late-round draft gems like Maxx Crosby, Nate Hobbs, Hunter Renfrow and Divine Deablo. Mayock also helped get star tight end Darren Waller a contract extension that is very team-friendly.
With all that said, there was a lot of bad to outweigh the good. Mayock was gifted six first-round draft picks in his three seasons as general manager. His first selection was Clelin Ferrell with the fourth overall pick in 2019. He developed into a rotational defensive end who has 8.0 sacks in three seasons. Fellow 2019 first-round picks Josh Jacobs and Johnathan Abram have shown flashes but both have dealt with injuries.
In 2020, the team selected Henry Ruggs and Damon Arnette in the first round. Neither is with the team anymore. 2021 first-round pick Alex Leatherwood was one of the worst offensive linemen in the NFL this season. While a lot of those decisions could’ve been because of Gruden, Mayock had to have played some role. It was a tough call after the season but it’s easy to understand why Davis would want to make a change.
Raiders Already Setting up Interviews With GM Candidates
As noted earlier, the Raiders have already begun to request interviews with general manager candidates. According to Rapoport, has requested interviews with Indianapolis Colts assistant general manager Ed Dobbs and New England Patriots director of player personnel Dave Ziegler.
The Colts and Patriots have two of the strongest operations in the NFL so it makes sense why Davis would target executives from those teams. Ziegler is the de facto general manager for New England but still answers to Bill Belichick. Perhaps he’d want to move on to have more control. Dobbs works under Chris Ballard, who is considered one of the best general managers in the NFL. The Colts have done a great job in the draft in recent years so it’s smart to take a look at anybody involved in that operation. It’s also important to note that Dobbs worked under Al Davis and the Raiders.
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