Looking at Raiders’ coaching searches since Mark Davis became owner

The Raiders are searching for a head coach for the sixth time since Mark Davis took over as owner in 2012.

Davis has tried just about every approach to find the right coach, from hiring the hot-shot young coordinator in Dennis Allen in 2012 to reaching back into the franchise’s illustrious past by rehiring Jon Gruden in 2018.

So, what will make this search different? Experience certainly helps. So can a new group of advisers, the most prominent of whom is minority owner Tom Brady, who will have a significant voice in the search.

Nevertheless, it’s interesting to revisit searches under Davis.

2012

Less than three months after the death of Al Davis, the iconic face of the Raiders for more than five decades, Mark Davis made his first major move as owner by hiring Packers director of football operations Reggie McKenzie as general manager.

It was a significant step, considering Al Davis was not just the Raiders’ owner but also their chief personnel decision-maker.

For the first time since the 1960s, football decisions were in someone else’s hands.

Not long after hiring McKenzie, he and Davis decided a new coach was needed. That led to the firing of Hue Jackson after one season and casting a wide net in search of his replacement.

The Raiders talked to former head coaches such as Mike Tice and Marty Mornhinweg, but also a number of young assistant coaches who were landing on NFL radars. Among them were Dolphins assistant head coach and secondary coach Todd Bowles, Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr.

The Raiders decided on Allen, the coordinator of the dominating Broncos defense. He was the first defensive-minded coach hired by the Raiders since Al Davis promoted linebackers coach John Madden to head coach in 1969.

The hire came with some risk. Allen was coming off his first season as a coordinator and had no NFL head coaching experience. That inexperience was apparent, as the Raiders struggled under Allen the next three years. He was fired four games into his third season after going 8-28.

2015

The Raiders were looking for a more experienced coach in 2015. They interviewed former Jets and Browns coach Eric Mangini and former Broncos, Washington and Los Angeles Raiders coach Mike Shanahan.

Considering Shanahan’s ties to the Broncos — the Raiders’ bitter division rivals — and how unceremoniously his tenure with the Raiders ended two decades before, Davis caught flack for interviewing Shanahan.

But as he explained to the San Jose Mercury News, he was taking a cue from his father.

“This is something I learned from my dad — you talk to everybody because you can learn from everybody,” Davis said. “Even if you’re not going to hire somebody, if it turns out that way, you can learn from that person if he’s somebody who has things you can learn from.”

Davis said the presence of Derek Carr, who was going into his second season as the Raiders’ quarterback, played a part.

“If I didn’t go listen to a guy that’s got one of the best offensive minds in football and who has looked at all 16 of our games and can critique our quarterback for us … why wouldn’t I?” Davis said.

The Raiders also talked to Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur and Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton.

They decided on former Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio, who led the Raiders to a 12-4 record in his second season but was 7-9 in his first and 6-10 in his third. The regression from the second to third season cost Del Rio his job after the 2017 season.

2018

The decision to fire Del Rio wasn’t just about his record.

Davis had been trying to convince Gruden to come back to the Raiders for some time. But Gruden was happy as the longtime color analyst on “Monday Night Football,” and short of a “godfather” offer, he was likely to remain in that role.

As it turns out, Davis was prepared to make such an offer. He convinced Gruden to return by offering him full control of football operations and a 10-year, $100 million contract.

To satisfy all NFL hiring rules, the Raiders interviewed Raiders tight ends coach Bobby Johnson and USC offensive coordinator Tee Martin, but there was never any question that Gruden was their man.

Davis was content to ride it out with Gruden, and there was growth the next four years, including the move to Las Vegas in 2020. But Gruden was forced to resign in 2021 after a slew of disparaging emails he sent 10 years before became public.

The Raiders were 3-2 when Gruden resigned. They promoted special teams coach Rich Bisaccia, who led them to the playoffs with a late-season surge. They lost in the first round to the Bengals, but the players and fan base loved Bisaccia.

2022

Rather than give the job to Bisaccia, Davis decided to think big in his search for a replacement for Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock.

Bisaccia got an interview, but was considered a long shot despite having the players’ support. Jim Harbaugh, then the Michigan coach, appeared to have interest, but it didn’t go anywhere.

The Raiders also interviewed Bowles, then the defensive coordinator of the Buccaneers, and Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo. They also had an interest in 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans.

But in conducting their general manager interviews, they sat down with Patriots personnel executive Dave Ziegler. Ziegler told Davis he could help facilitate a deal to get Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who, despite his failures as the Broncos’ head coach 12 years before, was still a popular candidate.

In what was considered a major coup, the Raiders hired McDaniels and Ziegler.

But the McDaniels hire did not resonate with fans from the outset, and he and Ziegler were fired after 1½ seasons and a 9-16 record.

Davis promoted Antonio Pierce from linebackers coach to interim coach, and the Raiders won five of their final nine games. Players again voiced their support for the interim coach.

2024

That put Davis in the same situation as with Bisaccia. This time, though, he gave Pierce the full-time job after the 2023 season. He was one of three coaches interviewed, along with former Vikings coach Leslie Frazier and former Seahawks and Cowboys defensive coordinator Kris Richard.

The sixth search began when Davis fired Pierce after the Raiders finished 4-13 this season.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com . Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.