Reggie

McKenzie

McKenzie’s last general manager role came with the Raiders (2012-2018). The long-time NFL vet got his start in the front office with the Packers in 1994 as a personnel assistant and was eventually promoted to Director of football operations before leaving for the Raiders. Under McKenzie’s watch, the Raiders went 40-72, with their lone winning season coming in 2016 when they went 12-4 and lost in the AFC Wild Card round. McKenzie has served in his current role since 2019, and last interviewed for a GM role in 2022 with the Bears.

The Bears also conducted their GM interview with Reggie McKenzie. Some teams are flying around the country to meet candidates who are still in the playoffs, though others are sticking to online interactions. It’s a difficult needle for Leftwich to thread as he prepares for Sunday’s Divisional Round game against the Rams. He has also drawn interest from the Jaguars. He is one of this cycle’s strongest, freshest candidates.

McKenzie is currently a senior personnel executive for Miami. He steered a largely-successful rebuild in Oakland but after a tough 2017 season, the Raiders brought in Jon Gruden and ran with Gruden’s vision, leaving McKenzie helpless as Khalil Mack was dealt. The Bears have cast a pretty wide net so far, so it’s hard to know just how interested they are in McKenzie, but they’ve lined up a number of second-chance candidates so his name makes plenty of sense.

However, Holmgren passed on a flat “no” when asked if he might end up the next coach of the Raiders. “Well, you know what?” Holmgren said. “Now we’re gonna start something else again. ... Probably not.” Holmgren would be an uninspiring hire for a team so deep in the gutter, but has always been much better as a coach than executive. At the very least, he’d make the Raiders watchable.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports McKenzie was given the option to stay on the rest of the season, but he decided to walk away now. Despite Jon Gruden saying all of the right things when he was hired, this pairing never seemed likely to last. For better or worse, Gruden will now build the front office and scouting department in his image. As for McKenzie, it was not always smooth sailing, but his drafts in 2014 (Khalil Mack, Derek Carr) and 2015 (Amari Cooper) landed three premier players -- two of which were traded away this year seemingly with little input from McKenzie -- and set up Oakland’s surprising 12-4 run through the 2016 season, the year in which McKenzie was also named NFL Executive of the Year. It is possible McKenzie lands another high-profile job in the near future.

McKenzie spent seven seasons as Oakland’s general manager. He was fired before the end of last year after losing a power struggle with Jon Gruden. A former Executive of the Year, McKenzie is a solid addition to GM Chris Grier’s staff. He’ll be in the inner circle of Miami’s rebuild.

Former Browns GM Ray Farmer is interviewing with the Texans this weekend, and McClain anticipates the rest to be at least considered for interviews. Reggie McKenzie’s GM stint with the Raiders was very hit and miss, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see McKenzie’s name in consideration for future GM jobs. Since Bill O’Brien and Nick Caserio are close friends, McClain considers Caserio the top candidate.

McKenzie has taken a clear backseat since Jon Gruden’s arrival and looks like a goner at the end of the year. Per La Canfora, Gruden has “total control” of the organization and plans to overhaul the team’s front office and scouting departments. The Raiders are in the early stages of a lengthy rebuild and that process figures to continue upon the team’s move to Las Vegas in 2020. At least the Raiders have plenty of draft capital after acquiring first-round picks for Amari Cooper and Khalil Mack.

The laughing stock of the league when McKenzie took over in 2012 and through his first several years on the job, the Raiders are now legit playoff contenders with young stars at every important position and perhaps the best offensive line in the AFC. In the last three drafts alone, McKenzie has landed Derek Carr, Khalil Mack, Amari Cooper, Mario Edwards Jr., Clive Walford, and Gabe Jackson. He has absolutely transformed what was once the worst franchise in the league, making this extension more than deserved.

Davis tried to be effusive in his praise, but his lack of a guarantee speaks volumes. McKenzie appears to have had a productive draft, but his free-agent class has proven downright embarrassing for the second-consecutive season. There remains no real excuse for letting LT Jared Veldheer walk in free agency. Davis’ lack of a guarantee is likely tied up in the fact that he could be open to hiring a coach who would name his own general manager, a la Jeff Fisher in St. Louis.