Jon Gruden announced his three chief assistants Tuesday during his formal introduction as Raiders head coach. The team made those moves official on Friday afternoon.
Paul Guenther will coordinate this Raiders defense. Greg Olson returns as offensive coordinator, the same post he held from 2013-14. Rich Bisaccia will run Gruden's special teams, as he did for seven years in Tampa Bay.
These guys were all a first choice. He brought them in with four-year contracts, double the industry standard.
Gruden also gave a hint as to why he hired each guy.
Gruden on Guenther: "I met Paul Guenther when my brother (Jay Gruden) was the offensive coordinator of the Bengals. I loved the way the Bengals played defense. Up the field, single gap, get after you. Mike Zimmer, who left Cincinnati and went to Minnesota. I think we all agree they're quite a defensive team. He's a great teacher. He's been able to get a lot of players. Vontaze Burfict, undrafted out of Arizona State, became a star player. He can coach coaches. He can coach a lot of different situations to a high level."
Gruden on Olson: "Greg Olson coached Derek Carr for a year here. His intel there will be very important. He coached with me in Tampa and he coached with Sean McVay, one of my ex-assistants, in LA. So, the system of football that we run will be a real natural flow."
Gruden on Bisaccia: "He's a versatile coach. He coached two positions for me in Tampa. He was a running backs coach and a special teams coach. Great leader of men. He'll do an outstanding job here."
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Gruden has focused on hiring a coaching staff this week, with interviews lined up all week.
Here are some reported hires made but not yet announced:
-- Frank Smith is expected to be tight ends coach, NFL insider Adam Caplan reports. Bobby Johnson manned that post under Jack Del Rio, and was interviewed for the head coaching vacancy to meet the NFL's Rooney Rule.
-- Derrick Ansley will coach defensive backs, ESPN reports. He coached the same position at Alabama.
-- Former Colts running backs coach Jemal Singleton will lead Raiders rushers, according to NFL Network.
-- Nick Holz, the assistant receivers coach under Del Rio, is expected to be retained by Gruden's staff, Caplan reports.
