Finally official: Raiders fire McKenzie

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- One of the worst-kept -- albeit long-running -- secrets in the NFL went public Monday when the Oakland Raiders and Jon Gruden parted company with general manager Reggie McKenzie. The Raiders officially fired McKenzie on Monday, The Sports Xchange confirmed. It was the inevitable result of owner Mark Davis hiring Gruden as head coach -- and more -- in January. And after announcing Gruden's deal was for 10 years and $100 million, McKenzie's days were obviously numbered although Davis did request that Gruden keep McKenzie at least a year. Davis was trying to obfuscate the probability that McKenzie, his first major hire as owner, was a mistake. However, although Gruden agreed to maintain appearances, the coach made comments aloud that were less than complimentary about drafts conducted by McKenzie. But we already knew the feelings were mutual. When he was first hired, McKenzie's stated desire to Davis was that the team not hire Gruden. The well-known internal issues surfaced publicly with reports -- the result of strategically planted intel in the media -- indicating that McKenzie was on the verge of being fired. On Sunday, before and after the Raiders defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-21, Gruden refused to confirm or deny such reports. "I don't have any comment on that," Gruden said. "We're going to build this team back. I know that. We're going to bring the Raiders back, that's all I'll say." McKenzie, a former Raiders linebacker from 1985-88, was Oakland's general manager since being hired by Davis in January 2012. He spent the first few seasons altering the roster, with the changes aiding in the club notching its first playoff berth since 2002 when it captured a wild-card spot in 2016. McKenzie was named the NFL Executive of the Year after the 12-4 campaign by the Pro Football Writers of America. A dismal 2017 season followed and Gruden arrived in January and the die was cast. The Raiders posted a 39-70 mark under the watch of McKenzie, who previously worked for the Green Bay Packers from 1994-2011. Oakland has been in the midst of change since trading star pass rusher Khalil Mack prior to the season opener and wide receiver Amari Cooper on Oct. 22 for future first-round draft picks. They also parted ways with kicker Sebastian Janikowski and wide receiver Michael Crabtree, among others. As a result of the Mack and Cooper trades, the Raiders have three first-round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft and two more slated for 2020 when the organization is scheduled to move to Las Vegas.