The Las Vegas Raiders are currently in the midst of a 22-year drought without a playoff win. They've only been to the postseason twice during this stretch but have been bounced in the first round on both occasions.
Their continued lack of success can be traced to many things, whether it be their lack of a game-changing quarterback, poor contracts dealt out in free agency or wasting picks in the NFL Draft. However, coaching has been a major issue as well for the Silver and Black.
There has been no shortage of failed hires this century under both Al and Mark Davis, as 14 different men have been the head coach of the Raiders since the year 2000, including Jon Gruden two separate times. However, two of these coaches in particular recently ended up on a pitiful list.
Raiders' Dennis Allen and Art Shell among worst coaching hires of century
CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin released a list that detailed the 25 worst NFL coaching hires of this century. The first of two Raiders coaches on this list was Dennis Allen, who landed at No. 16 after an 8-28 record across two and a half seasons from 2012 to 2014.
"You're excused if you thought the New Orleans Saints were the only team to boot Allen as a head coach. To be fair, this man is still a widely respected defensive teacher, as evidenced by his quick hire as Ben Johnson's right-hand man in Chicago this offseason," Benjamin wrote. "But as you'll see at other points on this list, some vaunted assistants have proven better adept at holding those professions. Derek Carr was a noted fan, but the longtime Raiders quarterback was only present for Allen's final four games."
The irony of Carr being a big fan of Allen is that he got his coach fired twice, once in Oakland and once in New Orleans. Allen was the first significant hire that Mark Davis made after his father's passing, and unfortunately, it was a major swing and miss.
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Art Shell was the next Raiders head coach to land on the list, as he was slotted in at No. 8. During his second stint with the team, he was responsible for a miserable 2-14 season in 2006 that gave the team the No. 1 overall pick, which resulted in the selection of famous draft bust JaMarcus Russell.
"It's a shame Shell is on this list, because he's also a very bright part of Raiders history, starring as a three-time Super Bowl champion and eight-time Pro Bowl lineman for the silver and black before also guiding three playoff runs as the coach from 1989-1994," Benjamin wrote. "His second stint in 2006, when owner Al Davis abruptly plucked him out of retirement, was jarring for its lack of pop, as the Raiders averaged just 10.5 points scored per game."
Fortunately, the Raiders now have Pete Carroll, a competent head coach, to lead the franchise out of the darkness. While he may not be a long-term solution in Las Vegas, given his age, it would be a serious shock to see him on a list like this in the future.