Raiders snag another NFL broadcaster to run team after disappointing season

Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and incoming G.M. Mike Mayock honed their skills on television.

The Oakland Raiders will pluck another big-name broadcaster to help run the organization.

Now-former NFL Network analyst and draft expert Mike Mayock will be named the Raiders’ next general manager, according to numerous reports including NFL Network itself.

Mayock, 60, does not have experience running a team’s front office, but the Emmy-nominated analyst is considered one of the brightest football minds in the media industry. The expected hiring comes after Jon Gruden returned to the sidelines in 2018 as the team’s head coach after he spent a decade away from coaching to work in the broadcast booth.

“Gruden has been friendly with Mayock for years, and they have mutual respect from both having worked as television analysts,” Pro Football Talk managing editor Michael David Smith wrote before noting that it’s a risky move.

“Just because Mayock is good at talking about the draft on TV, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s good at making the decisions on draft day,” he wrote.

The Raiders now have a coach and G.M. with a combined one season of experience working for a professional team over the last decade. However, Gruden was a Super Bowl winning head coach prior to pivoting to television. The Raiders disappointed in Gruden’s first season back, winning only four games to finish last in the AFC West.

Mayock replaces Reggie McKenzie, who was fired earlier this month amid the poor campaign.

“He loves it. He’s a passionate, passionate personnel man. He’s done it for a long time. I know he’s had opportunities to get back into the NFL as a general manager and we’ll see what happens. We’ll see how the dust settles,” Gruden told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sunday when asked about Mayock’s candidacy.

It won’t take long for the pressure to be on the rookie general manager. After a plethora of trades made to rebuild the 4-12 team’s roster, Mayock will have three first-round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Mayock was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1981 and played for the New York Giants from 1982-1983 after playing for Boston College. He worked for Fox Sports Net, CBS Sports, ABC Sports and ESPN before joining the NFL Network in 2004.