AP Photo/Doug Murray
The Las Vegas Raiders don’t have a vacancy at head coach for the time being, but they are reportedly still doing their homework on potential candidates in case they do decide to move on from interim coach Rich Bisaccia.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Raiders requested interviews with New England Patriots inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo as a head coaching candidate and director of player personnel Dave Ziegler as a general manager candidate.
Ziegler may be of more immediate note considering NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the Raiders informed GM Mike Mayock he will not be returning.
While there is still uncertainty about what the AFC West team will do at head coach, Bisaccia deserves plenty of credit for what he did in an interim role this past season.
He took over for the final 12 games of the regular season after Jon Gruden resigned when it was discovered the former coach sent emails with racist, anti-gay and misogynistic language. It was anything but an easy situation for a longtime assistant coach to step into as a first head coaching opportunity, and it didn’t get easier when the Raiders released wide receiver Henry Ruggs III after he was charged in a fatal car crash.
But Bisaccia stabilized the team during the stretch run.
Las Vegas won its final four regular-season games to make the playoffs, including a thrilling overtime showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18 on Sunday Night Football to decide the final AFC team in the postseason bracket.
The Raiders ultimately lost by seven on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card Round, but it was a testament to Bisaccia that they even made it that far this season.
As for Bisaccia’s potential replacement in Mayo, he is best known for his time as a player for the Patriots. He played linebacker from 2008 through 2015 and won a Super Bowl while building a resume that included Defensive Rookie of the Year, two Pro Bowl nods and an All-Pro selection.
He has been on New England’s coaching staff the past three seasons and helped it reach the playoffs in 2021 behind a defense that finished second in the league in points allowed per game.
Ziegler would also come from New England, where he spent the past nine seasons in the scouting department. He was promoted to director of player personnel in 2021 and was previously the assistant director of player personnel, the director of pro personnel and the assistant director of pro scouting at different times.
The Patriots won three Super Bowls and advanced to the playoffs eight times in the past nine seasons with Ziegler on staff, which stands in stark contrast to the Raiders under Mayock.
Las Vegas hired Mayock ahead of the 2019 campaign and went 25-24 with zero playoff wins and one postseason appearance during his three years.
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