Jon Gruden might be getting all the money, but Raiders General Manager Reggie McKenzie must feel pretty secure about the influence he’ll have there in the future.
According to Jim Trotter of ESPN, McKenzie turned down the chance to interview for the vacancy in Green Bay.
With Gruden getting a 10-year deal which could be worth $100 million, it would have been easy to presume he had the run of the place, and would have made any personnel man less secure.
The fact that a G.M. isn’t interested in a lateral move isn’t remarkable, but McKenzie’s roots are with the Packers.
He worked in their front office for 18 years, beginning as a scout and rising to director of football operations under Ron Wolf and Ted Thompson. He was hired by the Raiders in 2012.
It also shows that the Packers are aiming high and aren’t merely content to promote one of their internal candidates, coupled with their interest in Ravens assistant G.M. Eric DeCosta.