ALAMEDA -- Raiders coach Jon Gruden beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, decompressed some with his team and headed home following a job well done.
Owner Mark Davis had a different itinerary.
He met with Reggie McKenzie and told the general manager his time was up. He could finish the season or walk away right now. McKenzie chose the latter.
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Gruden said Monday he didn't know what would transpire in that meeting.
“We won a game last night, and I went home,” Gruden said in his weekly press conference. “Obviously, there was a meeting last night, and obviously, changes have been made. I respect everything that this organization is about. I can’t exactly answer why this change was made last night, but changes were made. We have to continue to fight, and build this team back. That’s what we’re going to do.”
When asked directly whether firing McKenzie was a Davis decision, Gruden inferred that it was.
“We all work for the same man,” Gruden said.
NFL
Gruden said he wasn’t sure if he'd be involved in the interview process, though sources have said the head coach/Raiders football czar will have a say in the hiring. It's believed the hire will be someone Gruden knows well and trusts.
[RELATED: Hard to believe Gruden knew nothing of GM's firing]
While he said he didn’t know exactly what was going down with McKenzie, Gruden wasn’t surprised by the move.
The Raiders will hire a new personnel executive, though that person won’t necessarily be given the GM title. Gruden was set to meet with scouts Monday afternoon, and he said he’ll continue to show confidence in those on staff as the Raiders head into the offseason and ever closer to a pivotal NFL draft armed with three first-round draft picks.
Director of player personnel Joey Clinkscales remains employed at this time. Gruden said director of college scouting Shaun Herock will play a pivotal role over the next few months.
“He’s a talented personnel man with a lot of Raiders history,” Gruden said. “He’s our college scouting director, and we have a lot of good scouts. We have a lot of picks in this draft, so his leadership will be important. I expect him to be a big part of the organization moving forward.”