NFL teams
Michael Wagaman 9y

Todd Grantham's decision a bad sign for Raiders

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- There are a lot worse things than being turned down by a college coach, but from the outside Todd Grantham’s decision to stay in Louisville isn’t encouraging sign for Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio.

According to ESPN.com’s Brett Murphy, Grantham turned down a two-year offer from the Raiders to stay at his same position in the college ranks.

Del Rio has previously said he would be more hands-on with a coordinator who didn’t have much experience.

Grantham is a veteran college defensive coordinator who held the same job with the Cleveland Browns from 2005-07, so that shouldn’t have been an issue. But it’s conceivable Grantham might have thought Del Rio would want more input on the defense than he was comfortable with. Also, Oakland has already begun assembling defensive assistants, meaning Grantham wouldn't be bringing in his own staff.

It’s probably no coincidence that Grantham coaches under Bobby Petrino at Louisville -- the same guy who turned down an offer from Al Davis to be the Raiders coach in 2006. Grantham interviewed with Del Rio earlier this week and the team quickly put together an offer to try to lure him to the NFL but were shot down on Wednesday.

And so the search for Oakland’s defensive coordinator continues while the list of available candidates continues to shrink.

Del Rio has received mostly high marks for the staff he’s put together, and this probably won’t derail much of the positive momentum the team has generated since the regular season ended. But there was a red flag somewhere that scared Grantham away and that has to be a concern for anyone else who might interview for the gig.

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