ALAMEDA — When Jon Gruden is introduced as the Raiders new coach, will Reggie McKenzie be with him?
It would be best for all parties if he is. Although McKenzie’s power base will be weakened in some ways — final say on the draft and the 53-man roster — keeping him in place as a G.M. makes sense as the Raiders transition to Gruden’s way of doing things.
McKenzie has three years left on his contract. If he’s fired, McKenzie would add to Davis’ burgeoning tab for services not rendered. He already owes Jack Del Rio $15 million for the next three years of not coaching. Figure McKenzie would be another $6 million.
It’s safe to assume then that Davis is hoping Gruden and McKenzie can co-exist. Or he could hope that McKenzie is more than a “sleeper pick” for the G.M. job in Green Bay, where he spent 18 seasons in the front office before the Raiders made him G.M.
Gruden and McKenzie are hardly strangers. They were together for a season in Green Bay. Gruden coached Reggie’s twin, Raleigh, in Philadelphia. When Gruden paid a visit to Raiders training camp in 2012 as part of his ESPN work, he and Reggie carried on like old friends.
None of that means they can co-exist in a coach/general manager relationship. But the onus will be on McKenzie to make it work. Whatever Gruden wants, Gruden will get. He will have all power.
But Gruden could use McKenzie’s help, especially at the outset. Hiring staff and installing new systems for offense and defense. The ability to lean on McKenzie and the personnel department he has built would enable Gruden to focus on the on-field product.
What’s more, two of McKenzie’s areas of expertise — scouting and salary cap management — are areas Gruden would prefer to concede.
Can McKenzie work for Gruden, under Gruden, as the No. 2 man? He was, after all, the NFL Executive of the Year in 2016.
For what it’s worth, McKenzie’s power base has been steadily eroding anyway. His last three drafts, following the one in which he got Derek Carr, Khalil Mack and Gabe Jackson, haven’t been nearly as bountiful. There hasn’t been a true impact player to hit the roster since Amari Cooper in 2015.
It was Davis, not McKenzie, who hired Del Rio. And fired Del Rio. And wooed Gruden.
When Gruden and the Raiders parted ways in 2001, a point of contention besides money was the coach’s insistence on choosing his roster and his staff without interference from Al Davis. He was fine with Al Davis running the draft and handling the scouting department.
No way is Gruden coming here without having final say over everything in the football operation.
Yet there is plenty for McKenzie to contribute, particularly with the scouting combine coming up in late February and free agency in March. His staff has already begun work on players that could become available, and Gruden arrives after a decade-long absence from day-to-day operations of an NFL team.
For now, at least, the best thing for the Raiders is having Gruden and McKenzie on the same team.
