Raiders set to name Jack Del Rio as their next head coach

The Oakland Raiders appear set to name their next head coach. Chris Mortensen was the first to report they are expected to hire now former Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. There was some speculation last night that general manager Reggie McKenzie wanted to stick with Tony Sparano, while owner Mark Davis wanted Del Rio. If those reports were true, it would appear the owner won out.

Del Rio has significant Oakland connections, so this is not entirely surprising. He grew up a Raiders fan, his parents are season ticket holders, and his brother works security at Raiders games. He's a qualified candidate, but it helps to have those kinds of connections. Del Rio was head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003-2011, and defensive coordinator of the Broncos since 2012. He briefly filled in for John Fox when the latter was sidelined with some health issues.

I actually think Del Rio could do some good things for the Raiders, so we'll see how this expected hiring shakes out. He just needs to make sure not to pull this stunt again.

That removes one potential candidate from the Broncos hiring pool. General manager John Elways said both Del Rio and offensive coordinator Adam Gase would be candidates for Fox's vacated position. The Broncos spoke with Gase Tuesday evening after he finished his interview with the 49ers. The Broncos list of candidates reportedly includes Gase, Gary Kubiak, Dan Quinn, Teryl Austin, and Rick Dennison.

It remains to be seen what the 49ers have in mind with Gase, as general manager Trent Baalke left town on Tuesday. Unless Dan Quinn is the guy they really want to push for, I have to think we hear an announcement of some kind in the next day or two.