Oakland Raiders to Start Coaching Search Next Week
By Chase Ruttig
Dec 21, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis reacts in his luxury suite after a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Bills 26-24. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis isn’t going to waste any time in finding the next permanent head coach for his team come the end of the 2014 regular season. With the Raiders missing the playoffs for another year, it is being reported that Davis will be interviewing candidates right away as he looks to either sway Jim Harbaugh to Oakland or hire a backup candidate that will be able to finish the rebuild of the franchise with a playoff berth.
According to Tim Kawakami that interview process will begin next week, with Davis planning on interviewing those who are available as soon as possible to be one of the first teams in the door when it comes to the race for head coaches this offseason.
Davis also plans on being in the interview process this time around, something that wasn’t in the mix the last time the Raiders hired a coach with general manager Reggie McKenzie hiring Dennis Allen for the team’s rebuilding process. Now looking at finding a head coach to guide the team into the playoffs, Davis wants more of a say.
There are a lot of uncertain things surrounding the Raiders coaching search, but come January expect things to become clear fast as Davis is eager to get the right candidate to bring his franchise back to the playoffs. Who that coach will be is unknown, but looking for a splash of a hire Davis is likely going to accomplish the goal of bringing in a head coach who will add excitement to 2015 in Oakland. There may not be any playoff games to look forward to, but the month of January will have a spotlight on Oakland as the team will be one of the major players in the head coaching race.