» RAIDERS PART WAYS WITH GM MCKENZIE

The Oakland Raiders have fired general manager Reggie McKenzie, a source told the Bay Area News Group on Monday morning.

The team confirmed the news early Monday afternoon.

“The Raiders have released Reggie McKenzie from his duties as General Manager. We are grateful for everything Reggie has done for this organization as a player, executive and member of the Raider family. We wish the best for Reggie, June and the entire McKenzie family,” the statement said. “The Raiders will immediately begin a search for a new front office executive and will have no further comment until that process is complete.”

NFL Network first reported the news Monday morning, and noted McKenzie turned down the chance to stay the remainder of the season before leaving and told his scouts Monday morning he had been relieved of his duties.

McKenzie’s firing shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the timing seems rather odd. It’s possible Sunday’s CBS Sports report that McKenzie would be fired after the season accelerated the inevitable. Regardless, not two years after winning 2016 NFL Executive of the Year following the Raiders’ breakout 12-4 regular season, McKenzie is out.

He’s responsible for drafting the likes of Derek Carr, Khalil Mack, Amari Cooper and Gabe Jackson since joining the Raiders in 2012, though his recent drafts haven’t been as fruitful. Jon Gruden, the clear No. 1 at Raiders HQ since the day he was hired in early January, made it clear on multiple occasions he didn’t think highly of McKenzie’s recent drafts. When discussing the Khalil Mack trade the week before the season, Gruden said he wasn’t even involved in sending a 2020 second-round pick to the Bears in addition to Mack.

Both general manager and head coach insisted they worked seamlessly together, but it was evident that wasn’t the case beyond a personal level.