After the Oakland Raiders signed head coach Jon Gruden to a record 10-year, $100 million contract back in January, it was assumed that he would play a large role in roster personnel decisions under general manager Reggie McKenzie.
On Sunday during the first day of the NFL's owners meeting in Florida, Raiders owner Mark Davis essentially confirmed that notion while speaking with members of the media.
Via a tweet from Raiders Insider Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area:
“Jon's the head coach and he's going to be here a while, so it's important that he gets the players he wants and builds a team he wants to build,” Davis said. “Reggie is there with his staff to find the players, and also to keep the (salary) cap and everything else in order.”
This wasn't always the case, as McKenzie usually made all the personnel decisions when former head coaches Dennis Allen and Jack Del Rio were with the team. With coach Gruden now with the Raiders for the long haul, McKenzie's role with the team is expected to change a little bit.
“They have roles to play. At this point in time, the role Reggie plays now is a little different than the role he played with Jack (Del Rio), a little different than his role working with Dennis (Allen),” Davis said. “It evolves. He has built the team to where we are now, and we're in pretty good shape with the cap and everything else. Now he has a head coach who's going to be running this thing for the next 10 years. His vision is going to be most important building what type of team we've got. That vision, and that direction is going to be helpful to Reggie more so than not. I think they'll work together very well.”
So far during free agency, the Raiders have made a good deal of moves this offseason but still have their fair share of holes heading into the 2018 NFL Draft. And based on Davis' comments, it's safe to assume that Gruden will also have a big say in terms of how the Raiders approach the draft this year.
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