Updates from Sunday, Oct. 26

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports Jon Gruden has interest in joining the Oakland Raiders:

Updates from Monday, Oct. 6

Daryl Ruiter of Cleveland.com continued  provides a synopsis of Mike Holmgren discussing his latest involvement with the Oakland Raiders with Sports Radio KJR:

Holmgren told Mitch Levy on Sports Radio KJR in Seattle Monday morning that he 'probably' won’t become the Raiders next head coach.

Holmgren was recruited by Raiders owner Mark Davis in 2013 after he left the Browns in Nov. 2012 following Jimmy Haslam’s purchase of the team from Randy Lerner. Alec Scheiner replaced Holmgren as team president.

He recently visited with team officials but that is all it was according to Holmgren.

'No jobs were discussed,' Holmgren said. 'Nothing like that. It wasn’t about a job.'

Davis originally wanted Holmgren to assume a front office role with the franchise that has floundered since Super Bowl XXXVII.

Updates from Sunday, Oct. 5

NBC Sports' Mike Florio reports Mike Holmgren is a potential candidate for the Raiders' head-coaching position:

Back in July, former Packers and Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren sounded like a guy who’d be interested in coaching again at age 66.  Mark Davis ultimately could be interested in Holmgren coaching the team Davis owns.

Strong and persistent chatter has emerged in recent days linking Holmgren to the job. 

[...]

While unconfirmed, multiple sources tell PFT that Holmgren visited the team’s facility this week. 

Florio continued with his thoughts on the development:

It’s a fairly obvious connection, given that former Holmgren lieutenant Reggie McKenzie serves as the General Manager in Oakland.  McKenzie, who could be the next guy out the door in Oakland, has said he’ll hire the next coach.  If McKenzie does, Holmgren could be the optimal Hail Mary option, especially since Holmgren likely would not be inclined to replace McKenzie — unlike other big-name coaches Davis may pursue.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com also reported on Jim Harbaugh and possibly moving to Oakland:

Updates from Tuesday, Sept. 30

The Raiders have named their interim head coach:

The Raiders pass along Sparano's comments on the task ahead:

The team released a statement on the firing of Dennis Allen:

The Oakland Raiders have relieved Dennis Allen of his duties as head coach, General Manager Reggie McKenzie announced Tuesday.

“After thorough evaluation, we have determined to move in another direction,” said McKenzie. “We appreciate Dennis Allen’s dedication to the organization and wish him and his family nothing but the best in the future.

Tom Pelissero of USA Today provides comments from McKenzie, who spoke about the next head coach of the Oakland Raiders:

Original Text

When you start the season 0-4 with a minus-52-point differential in the NFL, it may be time to make a change and head in a different direction. 

That is exactly what the Oakland Raiders did Monday night when they fired head coach Dennis Allen. It was Jay Glazer of Fox Sports who first broke the news:

In the wake of the Allen firing, it is only natural to wonder what is next and if there will be any more people to lose their jobs. For now, it appears as if general manager Reggie McKenzie is still in the fold, as Henry Wofford of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area passed along:

Ed Werder of ESPN was certainly thinking about the immediate future (while also pointing out just how the Raiders fired Allen) when he shared some potential targets:

While Werder noted Tony Sparano as a possible coaching candidate, Fallon Smith of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area made sure to alert fans that Sparano will not be assuming the interim responsibilities in the meantime for the Raiders:

I've also been told Tony Sparano will NOT be the #Raiders interim head coach. #Raiders

— Fallon Smith (@FallonSmithCSN) September 30, 2014

The Raiders went 4-12 the past two years under Allen, and there may be some doubts about how this decision impacts the team. ESPN's Josina Anderson talked with receiver Denarius Moore about the move:

"I don't know how I should react. I have been through it before. There's nothing new, but at the same time you have to think about the season that is ahead....I mean whatever Mark Davis feels he needs to do. It's his team."

Still, winning is the ultimate goal in the NFL, and the players will likely appreciate a change for the better over the course of time. Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News probably had something like that in mind when he brought up the possibility of Jon Gruden in the wake of the firing:

I presume Davis will take a hard run at former coach Jon Gruden, who has always been Mark Davis’ first and best choice to take over the entire football operation.

Yeah, the Gruden Dream. Before Davis explores any other options, he’ll have to put everything he has into a basket for Gruden, and see if he finally says yes. One way or the other, I think Davis has to know if Gruden is ever coming back to the Raiders.

Maybe that time is now–just to find out.

Davis wanted to hire Gruden last off-season, and might’ve even heard some semi-positive murmuring from Gruden… but Gruden has teased many teams over the years and has never come back since he was fired by Tampa Bay.

That ESPN booth is mighty comfy. Still, I think Gruden is going to want one grand return to coaching, if everything is set up perfectly.

Gruden may seem like a long shot, especially because he appears rather comfortable as a main player at ESPN, but he did coach in Oakland from 1998-2001 and took the franchise to the playoffs two separate times. If Gruden does get the coaching itch again, he could look to go someplace he has been before.

From Oakland's perspective, it makes sense to at least try. After all, the worst the former Super Bowl champion can do is turn down the opportunity, which puts the Raiders right back to where they are now.

Kawakami even goes on to discuss Jim Harbaugh later in his report, so it is clear that he has his eyes on the fences early in this process.

Regardless of who takes over the reins in Oakland, there is some talent in place.

Derek Carr will anchor the offense for years to come, and Khalil Mack looks like a superstar in the making for the defense. Having two young rookie studs makes the job more appealing, but Oakland needs to add more pieces to truly attract some of the top potential coaching names in the business.

There is still an uphill climb awaiting the Raiders in the AFC West, especially with the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos among the league's best teams, but adding a marquee coach would be a big step in the right direction.