The 2017 NFL season was more than a disappointing one for the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders, who many believed would be a Super Bowl contender, never quite found their groove as their inconsistent offensive play coupled with their shoddy defense led them to a 6-10 record.
Oakland’s most recent loss to the Los Angeles Chargers highlighted several of the team’s issues. Derek Carr could not seem to find much offensive rhythm given the regression of the offensive line, while the secondary gave up big plays to Los Angeles’ receivers.
According to Michael Gehlken of Las Vegas Review-Journal, it appears that head coach Jack Del Rio has been relieved of his duties:
Jack Del Rio was notified he won’t be retained, Del Rio announces.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) January 1, 2018
Raiders owner Mark Davis wasted no time in letting go of Del Rio given the results of the 2017 season. Del Rio, who signed a four-year extension in the offseason, could not seem to get his group to recapture the magic from their successful 2016 season run and now joins a growing list of coaches that have been fired following the conclusion of the season.
The NFL rumor mill has continually brought up head coach Jon Gruden as a possible candidate to fill in the coaching vacancy in Oakland and surely has enough fuel given the news. It will be interesting to see how the organization moves forward given a surprisingly disappointing year.
