If you went solely on the record of the team, Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie would be squarely on the hot seat.
But when you take into account the previous regime's missteps and the most recent draft, McKenzie's job status starts to look a little safer.
Then, when you add in recent comments by owner Mark Davis, you come to the conclusion that McKenzie may as well be just another confused, long-winded story from ol' Grandpa Simpson, because he's not going anywhere.
"We are in really good shape, based on the way Reggie put all the contracts together and everything else," Davis told NFL Media Insider, Ian Rapoport, according to Dan Hanzus of NFL.com. "We're not settled with a lot of upside-down situations anymore. The situation he walked into originally was pretty tough. The deconstruction phase of that went very, very well. I think we're a pretty desirable place for someone that wants to come in and build."
Davis pointed to quarterback Derek Carr and defensive end/linebacker Khalil Mack as future stars he credits McKenzie with bringing into the fold.
"We have a new face on offense, which Derek could be the face of the future," Davis said. "We have a face on defense with Khalil Mack. Gabe Jackson might be a player. We have something to start building around. I don't know that we've had the ability to say that over the past few years."
McKenzie, the franchise's first real general manager, took over not long after former owner/GM Al Davis' death. Some of his moves since that time have been suspect - he traded away (an admittedly aging and injury-prone) Carson Palmer and signed Matt Flynn to replace him. He brought in former head coach Dennis Allen as "his guy" before firing him four games into this season and naming Tony Sparano the interim head coach. He constructed the roster, which has currently produced a single win on the season.
Still, it seems that Davis is pleased with McKenzie's recent efforts, referring to him as "not an interim GM," and hinting he's probably safe for at least another year.
"I think we're in position to start moving forward," Davis said. "And I think that's very desirable thing for this organization and someone that might want to be a part of bringing the Raiders back to the greatness."
