The Oakland Raiders watched their football season come to an end on Sunday with a loss to the San Diego Chargers, but lost little time making some quick offseason moves. A spring cleaning has been underway in the past week as they parted ways with much of the defensive coaching staff.
Another pressing matter is that of the general manager position, which has been officially vacant since the passing of Al Davis earlier in the season. Head coach Hue Jackson filled in where he could as far as personnel decisions for the remainder of the season, but obviously it's an opening that needs to be filled before the offseason can really move forward for the organization.
Rumors have been swirling for the past few days thet the Raiders have been closing in on one candidate in particular to fill the GM position. All indications suggested that the team was targeting Green Bay Packers director of football relations Reggie McKenzie.
On Thursday night, Adam Schefter of ESPN appeared to finally issue some manner of confirmation on the matter.
McKenzie has been working for the Packers since 1994, so he definitely understands what it's like to work behind the scenes for a dominant and winning organization. McKenzie has Oakland ties, as he played for the team in the mid-1980s as a linebacker. According to Schefter, McKenzie has a reputation as a strong evaluator of talent.
It will certainly be an adjustment as the Raiders prepare for their first season without Davis calling all of the shots since 1972.
For more news and notes on the Raiders offseason, make sure to follow this StoryStream. For all news and information on Oakland football, make sure to check out Silver and Black Pride.