It was ultimately inevitable perhaps the day that Jon Gruden signed on the dotted line for his second tenure with the Oakland Raiders but the timing couldn’t be more surprising. In a move that was widely expected to be done at the season’s end, the Raiders fired Reggie Mckenzie in what is another step in the overhaul of this team.
Mckenzie’s track record with the Raiders has had its bright spots (Khalil Mack, Derek Carr, Amari Cooper) while also sporting quite a few misses along the way (see 2013 and the selection of DJ Hayden). Nonetheless while Gruden and Mckenzie’s personal relationship might have been strong, the roster overhaul of the season made it clear that sooner or later the two needed to part ways.