Grantham Turns Down Oakland Raiders’ DC Job, Sky Doesn’t Fall
By Kevin Saito
So, Todd Grantham has opted to continue calling the defensive plays for Bobby Petrino at Louisville rather than come to the Oakland Raiders to call the defensive plays for Jack Del Rio. Given the reaction to the story by some in the media, you would think the sky was falling in on Oakland and that any chance of the Raiders having some sort of success in 2015 immediately went up in smoke.
ESPN.com even ran a story titled, “Todd Grantham’s Decision a Bad Sign for the Raiders.” The writer even attempted to make some dubious connection between Grantham’s situation and the fact that his current boss, Petrino, once turned down head coaching overtures from the late Al Davis back in 2006 – though, how that’s relevant to the story remains to be seen.
“My family loves it in Louisville, and I think we are establishing something special here with head coach Bobby Petrino and our staff.”
Grantham has the requisite experience that Del Rio seems to be looking for from his key staff members. He was the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns from 2005-2007 before moving on to be the DC at Georgia from 2010-2013, and Louisville last season. His Cardinals defense was an aggressive unit that ranked sixth in the nation. But at the end of the day, Del Rio couldn’t pry him away from Petrino and Louisville.
Said Grantham, “I’m grateful for the opportunity to have interviewed for the defensive coordinator position with the Oakland Raiders, but I’m committed to the University of Louisville. I said when I came to Louisville that I thought we could win a national championship, and we are building toward that goal with the success we had this season.”
And contrary to the reactions of some in the media, the city of Oakland – not even the pit of a stadium the Raiders are forced to play in – have broken off and fallen into the ocean.
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There were likely a number of factors that played into Grantham’s decision. Most notably, the fact that just last year, Grantham signed a four year deal with Louisville that pays him around one million dollars annually. The contract on offer from the Raiders was reportedly a two year deal – which obviously offers Grantham, as well as his family, far less stability and security.
Another factor is the fact that Del Rio has stated several times that he plans on being more hands-on and involved with the defensive unit. Which, given the fact that he’s proven to be a pretty capable DC and tends to call a good game, means that Grantham likely would have had far less autonomy than he’s used to.
The third point ties into the second, which is that Del Rio has quickly gone about assembling a staff on both sides of the ball. He’s brought in a number of assistant coaches to fill in some key positions, meaning that Grantham wouldn’t even have the freedom to choose his own staff, which might have played a part in his decision.
With Grantham out of the running, the Raiders have already been linked to Seattle Seahawks linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. – a former teammate and close friend of Del Rio’s. But with the Seahawks participating in this week’s Super Bowl – if the rumors are true – the earliest the Raiders could interview him would be Monday.
Del Rio and the Raiders took a swing at Grantham and missed. It happens. It’s something that every team has gone through and must deal with. Just ask the San Francisco 49ers. But it’s not the end of the world. Far from it.
Lest you buy the hysteria some in the media are peddling, the fact that Grantham turned down the job offer was not a sign that the end times are nigh. It was simply a hire that for, very likely, a multitude of reasons, didn’t work out. So the Raiders are moving on. Which sounds like fantastic advice.