Raiders Rumors: Mark Davis Hasn’t Begun Coaching Search, Focused On Playoff Push
Mark Davis, Raiders
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The 2021 season for the Las Vegas Raiders has been anything but smooth sailing despite their 6-5 record.

After a lengthy investigation into the Washington Football Team that resulted in several condemning emails sent from Jon Gruden, the former Raiders head coach immediately resigned from his post. In his stead, interim head coach Rich Bisaccia has done a good job keeping the team together as they continue to stay in the playoff mix.

Las Vegas is a team on the rise located in a desirable market which means they should have their pick of head coaching candidates though it appears as though owner Mark Davis is reluctant to start a search and instead turn his efforts toward making the postseason, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS:

It’s been a month since Jon Gruden resigned as head coach of the Raiders, but league sources said the team has not begun a coaching search and has rebuffed inquiries from many interested parties as owner Mark Davis focuses on trying to reach the playoffs this season.

“He isn’t ready to go there yet,” one source who has talked to Davis said about the owner’s mindset. “He’s not ready to launch a coaching search. That’s not where he is.”

It makes sense why Davis would not want to shake up the team midseason, given they are still in a decent spot to take one of the Wild Card spots, and Bisaccia has earned the trust and support of the locker room. However, replacing Gruden also has several challenges, given how much power he held within the organization. Aside from hiring a new head coach, Davis will also need to restructure roles and responsibilities within the front office.

The Raider playoff drought is insufferable at this point, and it remains to be seen if Bisaccia will be the one to snap their streak, but it seems like he will get every opportunity to try.