Oakland Raiders: Scot McCloughan not interested in general manager job
As the Oakland Raiders’ search for a new general manager begins, we can cross off Scot McCloughan’s name as a potential replacement.
The Oakland Raiders will replace former general manager Reggie McKenzie in the near future after the team and former front office member agreed to part ways earlier this week. It’s only a matter of time that a man is pegged to work with Jon Gruden.
But Scot McCloughan won’t be the guy to fill the role.
According to Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Michael Gehlken, McCloughan would prefer to focus on his independent company, Distinctive Scouting.
"I’ve been a GM twice. Did I enjoy it? Heck yeah, from the standpoint of doing the roster. But there’s a lot of politics that play into it. I don’t deal with politics. I deal with football teams. Not saying it won’t happen some juncture, but right now, no."
For the moment, McCloughan didn’t leave any margin to change his mind. He spent time with the Cleveland Browns during the draft this year. He viewed Baker Mayfield as the top quarterback in the 2018 class and compared him to a shorter version of Brett Favre.
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Following McKenzie’s firing, McCloughan’s name came up because of his longstanding ties with the organization. Kent McCloughan, his father, played six seasons with the Raiders between 1965-70. He earned All-Pro honors in two of those years then served as a longtime scout for the club.
Secondly, McCloughan’s brother, David, currently serves a role in the Raiders player personnel department. The family also resided in Alameda, California.
Despite the connections and the adage, “once a Raider always a Raider,” McCloughan prefers not to deal with politics of the business from the inside. Perhaps head coach Jon Gruden and co. can lean on him for evaluations as an outside source.
Looking forward, the Raiders’ executive hire would have to show an impressive resume to influence Gruden’s personnel decisions. Whoever takes the position must understand the head coach’s way of thinking and the power structure is a bit unique considering the lead skipper’s 10-year contract with heavy sway in roster decisions.
In the meantime, Shaun Herock currently serves as the interim general manager until the Raiders make an official hire.
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During Monday’s press conference, Gruden said he and owner Mark Davis would sit down and go through potential candidates. The hire will say a lot about whether the Raiders head coach is willing to share his influence over the roster or simply bring in someone to focus primarily on other executive duties such as balancing cap space and other financial responsibilities.