The Oakland Raiders made headlines with their hiring of new general manager Mike Mayock. However, it appears his pull may be limited alongside head coach Jon Gruden.
Mayock spent years establishing his credibility as a well-respected analyst on the NFL Network. He now has an opportunity to see the result of his analysis with the bevy of picks that Oakland stocked up on over the last year.
There has been plenty of speculation regarding how much power he will have in personnel decisions moving forward. The front office usually has the biggest say in which players the team ultimately brings on board, but the Raiders have created a unique situation by essentially putting Gruden in charge.
Mayock admitted that Gruden will still be the one giving clearance on any moves they make, according to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN:
“In all honesty, Jon’s got final say, if it ever comes to that, and I’ve got zero problems with that. Now, having said that, I think we’re going to come to a consensus and I like a little yelling, a little screaming, a little fighting for what player you believe in. But at the end of the day, I guarantee you, Jon Gruden and I are going to know what a Raider looks like and smells like. I don’t think we’re going to have any issues.”
Mayock’s comments should come as no surprise. The Raiders made quite the investment to bring him out of retirement prior to the 2018 NFL season and in doing so, he essentially became the second-in-command next to team owner Mark Davis.
Unfortunately, Gruden has failed to follow through on the hype thus far after ridding the team of their Pro Bowl talent in exchange for future draft picks. Although he had initially put the pressure on himself to make the most of those upcoming picks, he now has Mayock to help shoulder the load.
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