Oakland Raiders fire head coach Jack Del Rio following disappointing 6-10 finish

OAKLAND, Calif. (UPI) — The Oakland Raiders fired coach Jack Del Rio following a 30-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday that ended a disappointing 6-10 season. “I spoke to (team owner) Mark Davis after the game, and Mark let me know that he’s not going to be bringing me back,” Del Rio said at the podium following the loss. “He told me he loved me and appreciated all that I did to kind of get this program going in the right direction, but that he felt the need to change.” Davis later issued a press release that read: “We appreciate Jack’s effort in building the foundation of this team for the future. Thank you to Jack, his wife, Linda, and his daughter, Aubrey, for their important contributions to the Raiders and our local community in Oakland. We wish them all the best.” One year after reaching the playoffs for the first time in over a decade, the Raiders slumped, losing their last four games of the season. Del Rio, who received a four-year contract extension from the Raiders in February, posted an 18-13 mark with the franchise, going 7-9 and 12-4 his first two seasons. According to ESPN, the Raiders are preparing to pursue ESPN analyst Jon Gruden with an offer that could include an ownership stake in the team. Del Rio’s Raiders opened the 2017 season 2-0 before a 27-10 upset loss in Week 3 at Washington. The defeat to the Redskins sparked a four-game losing streak, and the Raiders never got above .500 the rest of the way. Ken Norton Jr. was fired as defensive coordinator after 10 games.