Once again, the guy with the historically massive contract who makes all of his team’s decisions is blaming someone else.
Jon Gruden’s short Raiders tenure has included trading away Khalil Mack, getting off to a 1-3 start (that might have been 0-4 if not for some baffling officiating in their game against the Browns) and a tendency to undermine others. This time it was Reggie McKenzie, the Raiders’ GM — in name only, after Gruden took control over personnel.
Ahead of the Raiders’ Week 5 matchup with the Chargers, Gruden gushed to reporters about rookie Los Angeles safety Derwin James, a player Gruden says he would have drafted — if not for the team’s choice to draft two safeties in two years. A decision that, of course, was spearheaded by McKenzie.
“We wanted to take Derwin James. Everybody wanted Derwin James,” Gruden said, according to Yahoo! Sports. “We had unfortunately drafted a safety in the first round two years ago, and we drafted another safety in the second round [in 2017]. He’s a dynamite young player, and he’ll be one of the building blocks in L.A. for a long time for the Chargers.”
With McKenzie at the helm, the Raiders spent a first-round pick on Karl Joseph in 2016, as well as a second-rounder on Obi Melifonwu in 2017. So Gruden went ahead and drafted UCLA left tackle Kolton Miller — even though he “wanted” James.
Gruden then cut Melifonwu, who spent 10 weeks on injured reserve in 2017. Joseph has been coming off the bench behind Marcus Gilchrist, a free agent Gruden signed in 2018.
It’s not the first time Gruden and McKenzie have clashed on decisions. According to NFL.com, Gruden hired his own staff aside from McKenzie’s and created his own draft and pro boards following his $100 million power play earlier this year. Among his staff members is Dave Razzano, who in the past has tweeted that Von Miller would be a bust and Jake Locker (now out of the league) should be the first-overall pick.
McKenzie also stated on several occasions throughout the offseason he wanted to sign Mack to an extension. Gruden traded him to the Bears, and he currently has as many sacks as the Raiders’ entire team. Ask Gruden and that wasn’t his fault either.
“Obviously, Khalil Mack didn’t want to play here,” Gruden said Week 1.
That didn’t stop Gruden from gushing over Mack’s superior play in Chicago, however.
“Damn – Khalil Mack had another strip sack?” Gruden asked reporters before his Week 4 game, according to NFL.com. “Are you … kidding me?”
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