The Oakland Raiders have wasted no time filling their general manager vacancy in advance of the offseason, and the man they’re hiring has no prior front office experience.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Raiders are expected to introduce NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock as their GM as early as Monday.
Raiders are hiring NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock as their general manager, league sources tell ESPN. The announcement will be made as early as today.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 31, 2018
Schefter notes that Mayock once interviewed for Oakland’s GM job with late owner Al Davis, and he is quite familiar with the Raiders from the time he spent around the team when head coach Jon Gruden returned last summer.
New Raiders’ GM Mike Mayock once interviewed and with Al Davis for the same job he is getting now. Mayock spent part of last summer with the Raiders, observing Jon Gruden. Now will be working directly with him.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 31, 2018
While Mayock has no prior experience as an executive, he is considered one of the better talent evaluators in the media and played safety in the NFL. He also appears to have a solid relationship with Gruden, who has a lot of power within the Raiders organization. A first-time GM will probably have less trouble working with Gruden than an experienced one would.
Mayock was previously believed to be a candidate for another GM job, but nothing ever came of that. With the Raiders having finished 4-12 in Gruden’s first year, Mayock will be called upon to help the team figure out the best way to use three first-round draft picks and restock a depleted roster.
