ALAMEDA – Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie doesn't read stories about his relationship with relatively new head coach Jon Gruden, but he knows they exist.
They question his level of influence with Gruden in town, now sitting atop the totem pole. Owner Mark Davis told NBC Sports Bay Area back in March that McKenzie's role has changed, and that Gruden is allowed to assemble the roster as he sees fit.
Both Gruden and McKenzie have emphasized their collaborative efforts constructing the roster, including major decisions like the Khalil Mack trade and Monday's choice to send Amari Cooper to Dallas for a first-round pick.
McKenzie tried to quiet talk of internal discord between him and Gruden, between scouts and the coaching staff.
"When you talk about pulling strings, Gruden and I work together very well," McKenzie said. "Let's make no mistake about that. About him pushing me out, that's not happening. About me being unable to work with Gruden, that's the furthest thing from the truth. We work really well together. We're in each other's offices all the time, talking about who's up and down, and who I would like to see play more. We talk about practice squad guys and all that, about claiming players and trading players.
"...when you're talking about the negativity I hear about between me and Gruden, there have been times when I want to make a statement and just say, ‘Really?'"
There have been times, after the Mack trade and again Monday afternoon, when the two provide mixed messages in public. For example, McKenzie said everyone's available in trade (for the right price, obviously) and Gruden said the Raiders aren't trading anybody else.
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If nothing else, that gives the impression McKenzie and Gruden aren't on the same page.
In regards to Cooper, McKenzie worked the phones and, when Dallas CEO Stephen Jones offered a first-round pick Monday morning, he took it to Gruden on the practice field. The head coach gave a thumb's up. McKenzie said he was on board trading his 2015 first-round pick.
The Raiders have cut, waived-injured or traded 13 McKenzie draft picks since Gruden was hired in January. They seem committed to rebuilding a young, seemingly solid foundation starting with a promising 2018 draft class.
"The NFL brings change," McKenzie said. "The system will not allow you to keep them all, but we have to understand that coaching plays a part from the standpoint of systems. We're talking about a 12-4 team that made a couple schematic changes, and we didn't win last year. There's another scheme this year. There's a lot of change around here. Teams that do well consistently don't have a lot of change. That's partly on me. We've had too many coaching changes since I've been here, as far as I'm concerned."
Gruden will be around a long time – he signed a 10-year contract in January – and will be given time to execute his grand plan as the team heads toward Las Vegas in 2020. McKenzie's contract continues through the 2021 NFL draft, and wants to continue building a team that fits what the Raiders are trying to do with Gruden back in silver and black. They'll have five first-round picks over the next two drafts to get the team back on track. While it will take some time and the Raiders could struggle in the near future, "tanking" is not on the table.
"We are building this thing in concert together. I'm talking about me and Coach Gruden," McKenzie said. "We are building this thing together. I think these picks are going to help this team tremendously, bottom line. (The Cooper trade) was something I saw as a great opportunity.
"We aren't tanking this season. These guys are going to have to step up and continue to work to win some ballgames. That's going to always be the case. There is always opportunity elsewhere for trades. We have got another week. There could be something else down the line of acquiring somebody. We are not tanking this season. I want to win bad."
