Brought in by Jon Gruden, Mike Mayock has been the Raiders’ top decision-maker since Gruden’s October ouster. While the Raiders may want to start fresh in 2022, Mayock is still in the mix to be part of the equation.
Some optimism exists in the Raiders’ building Mayock will be given a genuine chance to stick as GM, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes (ESPN+ link). This is Mayock’s third year with the Raiders, which hired him on New Year’s Eve 2018 to replace Reggie McKenzie as GM.
While Mayock undoubtedly had significant say during Gruden’s time, the latter made the final calls. Key personnel misfires — from Antonio Brown to Trent Brown to Lamarcus Joyner — preceded the team cutting both its 2020 first-round picks (Henry Ruggs and Damon Arnette) this year. The Gruden-Mayock duo’s initial draft pick, Clelin Ferrell, has not come close to meeting expectations, either.
The team has also gone 23-24 during Mayock’s tenure, though this year’s squad persevering en route to an 8-7 mark is somewhat surprising given the setbacks that have taken place. FiveThirtyEight.com gives the Raiders a 16% chance to qualify for the playoffs, which would be the franchise’s first berth since the McKenzie-Jack Del Rio regime’s 2016 advancement.
Although some outside the Raiders expect them to go forward with a full-scale change, Fowler adds Mark Davis has not made a decision on Mayock yet. The two have maintained a good relationship amid turmoil as well. Davis keeping Gruden’s right-hand man around would certainly be interesting, but the door appears open for the longtime analyst to stay in his current role.
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