|
|
One candidate to replace Bill Callahan as the Raiders' next coach said goodbye, two other candidates said hello, and the first candidate interviewed re-entered the picture Sunday.
Confused? Don't be, team spokesman Artie Gigantino said Sunday night.
ADVERTISEMENT
"The whole interview process is ongoing," Gigantino said. "Hopefully, the Oakland Raiders will announce more candidates this week." Tickets
Gigantino confirmed that Raiders managing general partner Al Davis intended
to interview Dallas Cowboys assistant head coach/quarterbacks Sean Payton either
Sunday night or today, depending upon when Payton arrived in the Bay Area.
Payton, 40, joined coach Bill Parcells in Dallas this season after spending
the previous three seasons as the offensive coordinator of the New York Giants.
The Giants reached the Super Bowl in the 2000 season, Payton's first full season
as offensive coordinator.
Payton coached on the Philadelphia Eagles staff that featured Jon Gruden and
Callahan in 1997, one season before Gruden and Callahan joined the Raiders,
Gruden as head coach.
The Raiders also are scheduled to meet Tuesday with another Cowboys coach, offensive
coordinator Maurice Carthon, according to a Dallas Morning News report.
Also, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Steelers offensive coordinator
Mike Mularkey informed the Raiders that he isn't interested in interviewing
for the Raiders vacancy that opened when Callahan got fired Dec. 30.
Mularkey told the Raiders of his decision one day after they asked for and received
permission to speak with him. Mularkey already has interviewed with the Buffalo
Bills and Atlanta Falcons about their coaching vacancies. He is regarded as
a strong candidate to beat out six others for the Bills job.
Davis has interviewed Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator/assistant head
coach Al Saunders, Dennis Green -- before he accepted the Arizona Cardinals'
coaching job -- and former 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Knapp.
Saunders' name likely will surface again in light of the Chiefs' season-ending
loss Sunday. That loss frees up Saunders to interview with other teams, per
a league mandate that prohibits teams from interviewing coaches on playoff teams
beyond Jan. 9 until that coach's team is out of the playoffs or the Super Bowl
ends, whichever comes first.