When last we heard from Raiders coach Jon Gruden, he was openly tampering with a player he never tried to sign. Since then, Gruden has disappeared.
Gruden has had no pre-draft press conference, no in-draft press conference, no post-draft press conference, no press conferences at all, no press conference during the current rookie minicamp, no interviews, no anything.
Meanwhile, G.M. Mike Mayock has been front and center, on multiple occasions.
So why is Gruden suddenly silent? Is he upset that reporters noticed and commented on his obvious tampering with Richard Sherman? Or is Gruden opting for a low profile so that all personnel decisions from 2021 get pinned to Mayock, setting the stage for a G.M. change if the Raiders go four for four in failing to make the playoffs since Gruden returned to coaching?
Some believed that Mayock could be made a scapegoat after the 2020 season. Arguably, Mayock was saved by the fact that Gruden would have had a hard time finding someone as good or better, especially since he holds final say over the draft and all other personnel decisions.
Gruden has rarely if ever shut it down the way that he recently has. It wasn’t accidental. There’s a reason for it. Maybe we’ll eventually find out what it is.