Oakland Fires General Manager Reggie McKenzie as Jon Gruden Feigns Shock

The power struggle between Oakland general manager Reggie McKenzie and coach Jon Gruden appears to have a clear winner, as McKenzie was fired by the Raiders on Monday. McKenzie had been with the organization since 2012, but became expendable when Gruden was hired.

The Raiders put out a statement that seemed to be somewhat condescending to their former GM, who took a team that was struggling and built them with draft picks into a playoff contender.

“We are grateful for everything Reggie has done for this organization as a player, executive and member of the Raider family,” the team said in a statement. “We wish the best for Reggie, June and the entire McKenzie family.”

Gruden’s Master Plan?

Gruden, who many believe orchestrated McKenzie’s firing, feigned shock at the news. He told reporters it caught him off guard.

“I really didn’t have a sense of it,” Gruden said. “I’ve been in a dark shaft room working hard trying to get to the next game. This has all been somewhat surprising. There has been a lot of speculation and a lot of rumor since early in the season. You don’t know what’s real, what’s smoke, what’s fire, you really don’t … but we have made a change, we have to respond, and that we will.”

Gruden had been working on undermining McKenzie’s power from the moment he got there. This was the inevitable conclusion of the coach’s strategy.

There were rumors that Gruden had his own staff, basically a de facto general manager’s office. They were making personnel decisions and evaluating talent. The group was headed by Dave Razzano, who held the title of director of football research.

During the April NFL Draft, Gruden had his own ideas who should be picked by the team, and there reportedly was a power struggle on who would be picking talent.

Rebuilding Phases Begins

Gruden further undercut McKenzie by getting some of the top players traded. The first to go was a McKenzie draft pick, linebacker Khalil Mack, who was traded to Chicago. The team received the Bears’ 2019 and 2020 first-round picks, a third-rounder in 2020 and a sixth-rounder in 2019 for Mack and a 2020 second-rounder plus a 2020 conditional fifth-round pick.

The team then waived defensive end Bruce Irvin, who along with Mack, had been standouts for the team. Shortly after those moves, Gruden wondered aloud why the team didn’t have an effective pass rush.

The offensive received the next bit of scrutiny. The team traded Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys for a first-round pick. After that decision, Gruden began to criticize his quarterback Derek Carr. Carr, who was also drafted by McKenzie, is not expected to be on the team next season.

Meanwhile Mack and Cooper have been credited with making their respective teams stronger. Both are expected to make the playoffs. The Raiders are 3-10.

Gruden said there will be turmoil while the team is undergoing the transformation.

“It’s a tough business, and there’s been a lot of change in this organization in the last 15 years,” Gruden said. “Coaches have come and gone, general managers have come and gone,and we have to respond. We have to fix the Oakland Raiders, and that’s something we’re dead set on doing.”