The Raiders have a lot of interest in Harbaugh, yet in the end, it will come down to whoever Mark Davis is listening to and trusts.”
Giving Jim Harbaugh ‘Full Control’ Has Risks
As Tony Pauline pointed out, the previous two Raiders head coaches had a lot of say in personnel decisions, which resulted in a lot of bad mistakes. Mark Davis might prefer to hire a general manager to handle personnel while his coach focuses completely on coaching.
It’s difficult to see a coach like Jim Harbaugh not wanting some say in personnel decisions. That isn’t always a terrible thing. Andy Reid and Bill Belichick have won numerous Super Bowls while making the ultimate decision.
During his tenure as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Harbaugh, on the other hand, reported to a general manager. Despite his dislike for former 49ers general manager Trent Baalke, the two went 44-19 together. There is no indication that Harbaugh can manage personnel on the NFL side of things, so hiring him if he wants full control is dangerous.
Mark Davis Must Make Tough Decisions
Hiring Jim Harbaugh appears to be a no-brainer for Mark Davis. There appears to be a shared interest, and he is connected to the franchise. He’s also led his teams to winning records at every level, both collegiate and professional.
The fact that he’s a former player means that he should be able to connect with players better than some other coaches. Antonio Pierce has shown promising signs since taking over for Josh McDaniels but he doesn’t even have two full years of NFL coaching experience. The players love him but it’d be risky to give him the full-time coaching job. It’s going to be a tough offseason for Davis as he can’t afford to hire the wrong coach again.
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