Jon Gruden has been the de facto general manager of the Oakland Raiders since the team hired him as head coach last year, and he will maintain final say over roster decisions even with Mike Mayock now in the mix.
In an interview with ESPN’s Steve Levy at the college football title game Monday night, Mayock spoke about how excited he is to work with Gruden this offseason. When asked what the power dynamic will be like in terms of reporting to team owner Mark Davis, Mayock was surprisingly candid.
“In all honesty, Jon’s got final say, if it ever comes to that, and I’ve got zero problems with that,” he said. “”Now, having said that, I think we’re going to come to a consensus, and I like a little yelling, a little screaming, a little fighting for what players you believe in. But at the end of the day, I guarantee you, Jon Gruden and I are going to know what a Raider looks like and smells like. I don’t think we’re going to have any issues.”
The fact that Mayock has no prior front office experience probably appealed to the Raiders, as he will be less likely to come in and try to push Gruden around. Gruden wanted say over personnel matters when he agreed to return to Oakland, and working with Mayock will clearly give him plenty of that.
Oakland finished 4-12 this season and has three first-round picks to work with, and Mayock has been considered one of the better talent evaluators in the media for several years. He was previously believed to be a candidate for another GM job, but his strong relationship with Gruden definitely played a role in the Raiders hiring him.
