Raiders fire Jack Del Rio
LOS ANGELES — The Oakland Raiders fired coach Jack Del Rio Sunday after a 30-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers that capped a disappointing 6-10 NFL season.
“I spoke to [team owner] Mark Davis after the game, and Mark let me know that he’s not going to be bringing me back,” Del Rio told reporters at his postgame press conference.
“He told me he loved me and appreciated all that I did to kind of get this program going in the right direction, but that he felt the need to change.”
Davis later issued a press release thanking Del Rio for his work with the club.
“We appreciate Jack’s effort in building the foundation of this team for the future,” Davis said.
Last year the Raiders reached the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade. They opened their 2017 campaign with two wins, but they slumped late, losing their last four games.
Del Rio, who received a fouryear contract extension from the Raiders in February, posted an 1813 mark with the franchise, going 7-9 and 12-4 his first two seasons.
Meanwhile, a season- ending win on Sunday wasn’t enough to save Chuck Pagano’s job as coach of the Indianapolis Colts, who sacked him shortly after a 22-13 victory over Houston capped their 4-12 NFL season.
From 2012- 2014, Pagano led the team to three consecutive 11-5 seasons and playoff appearances, reaching the AFC Championship Game in 2014.
Pagano coached 10 Pro Bowl players during his tenure with the Colts.
But the Colts have now failed to make the playoffs for three straight seasons.
This year the team struggled without star quarterback Andrew Luck, who hasn’t played because of a shoulder injury.
They endured their worst campaign since going 2-14 in 2011. —