The Las Vegas Raiders pulled off a Halloween shocker when they fired general manager Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels just eight weeks into the season. Now, Mark Davis will search for his next coach and GM.
In the meantime, Davis has tabbed assistant GM Champ Kelly as the team's interim general manager and linebackers coach Antonio Pierce as the interim head coach.
More than anything, Davis needs to make a sound pick for both his general manager and coach. Since Al Davis passed away, the Raiders have hired three GMs and none of them have panned out. Reggie McKenzie lasted from 2012-2018 and while he drafted some star players in Amari Cooper, Derek Carr and Khalil Mack, he was unable to build a consistent winner. After McKenzie, the Raiders went with Mike Mayock which proved to be a disaster after he reached on players like Clelin Ferrell, who isn't on the team anymore. With Ziegler, there are rumors that the Raiders wanted C.J. Stroud, so Davis was unhappy they stuck with Jimmy Garoppolo instead of finding a longterm quarterback.
However, it may not be easy to lure a top GM candidate to Las Vegas. This team is full of holes on the roster and they have not won consistently in two decades. Mark Davis is very involved as an owner, and whoever takes over this team will have the burden of having to beat Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the division.
If Davis decides to go away from interim GM Kelly at the end of the year, here are a few of the top candidates for the Raiders' vacancy:
Adam Peters
Peters is the assistant general manager for the San Francisco 49ers and has been on the John Lynch-Kyle Shanahan staff since they came to SF in 2017. He has worked in the NFL for 20 years and was previously the Vice President of Player Personnel for the 49ers.
Peters is one of the top candidates across the league and should have multiple bidders by the end of the year. The 49ers have been one of the most successful teams in getting their staff members hired, including Ran Carthon, who is now the GM for the Tennessee Titans. If the Raiders don't jump on Peters, expect another team to. After all, if he can “swindle” the salary cap and trades like John Lynch, another team will be lucky to have him.
Ed Dodds
The Colts assistant GM is another high profile name despite the Colts' recent struggles, which have likely prevented him from getting a job sooner, per The 33rd Team. Still, Dodds works under one of the most renowned GMs in Chris Ballard and a strong talent evaluator.
While he is a big name in the upcoming GM search, Mark Davis may want to seek someone from a team with a bigger winning track record.
Mike Borgonzi
The assistant GM for the Chiefs, Borgonzi is part of one of the best-run organizations in the NFL. As part of the Chiefs for the last 14 years, Borgonzi has helped this team to two Super Bowl championships and a run of five consecutive Conference Championship appearances.
During this time, the Chiefs have regularly acquired some of the most talented players in the NFL including Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, Tyreek Hill and many others. The Chiefs have also produced quality GM candidates like Chris Ballard. With this reputation, Borgonzi would be a safer GM pick.
John Spytek
Spytek is the Buccaneers assistant GM and has an interesting “in” with the Raiders since he close with Tom Brady. Brady has put in a bid to become a minority owner of the Raiders and is also a part owner of the Las Vegas Aces, who Davis owns. His connection to Brady could increase his chances as the next GM.
Catherine Raiche
If Davis wants to make a historic move, he could turn to the Browns assistant GM and Vice President of Football Operations, Catherine Raiche. Raiche is currently the second highest-ranked woman in NFL history in player personnel. If she were to get hired by the Raiders or another team, she would become only the second female GM in NFL history, behind Susan Tose Spencer, who served as the Eagles' GM in the 1980s.
The Raiders are a team who could make this move since they've his historically given opportunities to women and minorities that other teams didn't, with notable such hires including Amy Trask and Tom Flores.
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