The Raiders have fired director of player personnel Joey Clinkscales, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed on Wednesday.
NFL Network's Jim Trotter broke the news, which was expected after general manager Reggie McKenzie was let go on Dec. 10.
Clinkscales stopped traveling with the club after that, and wasn't present for the team's final two road games. He was, after all, McKenzie's right-hand man and trusted confidant.
McKenzie and Clinkscales played high school football in Knoxville, Tenn., and both went on to star for the University of Tennessee. Clinkscales left the New York Jets to join McKenzie in Oakland back in 2012, and was heavily involved in major personnel decisions during the McKenzie era.
While Clinkscales wasn't fired immediately when McKenzie was let go, but it was clear he wasn't in the Raiders long-term plan under head man Jon Gruden.
Gruden hired Mike Mayock to replace McKenzie as general manager on Monday, and said he didn't foresee major changes in the scouting department heading toward the NFL draft. Even then, Clinkscales was believed to be an exception to that rule.
Gruden tabbed director of college scouting Shaun Herock as his interim GM before Mayock was hired, and Herock will be integral helping Mayock adjust to his first NFL front office job.
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"I have a lot of confidence in (Herock's) history here and the scouts that we do have," Gruden said. "Mike is going to evaluate them. We're going to give them every opportunity to continue to be a part of this. I don't foresee any changes, but I do think Mike is going to talk to a lot of people. If he finds somebody out there that can come in and have the same vision that we have, we're going to jump on the table to get that guy in here."
Mayock has a ready list of personnel men he would consider for open positions, but said he presently wants to respect the work this scouting staff has done heading toward a pivotal NFL draft where the Raiders have four picks in the first 35.
