The Raiders are making a change at offensive coordinator after a season in which they had one of the league's best offenses.
Bill Musgrave is "not expected to return" to Oakland in 2017, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday. Musgrave's offense finished sixth in the NFL in total yards and seventh in points. The Raiders finished the 2016 regular season 12-4, with quarterback Derek Carr a front-running MVP candidate before he broke his leg in a win over the Colts on Dec. 24.
In two seasons working with Musgrave, Carr has made two Pro Bowls, thrown for nearly 8,000 yards and hit on 60 touchdown passes to just 19 interceptions.
Per Rapoport, Musgrave was at the end of a two-year contract and the Raiders are allowing it to expire. Quarterbacks coach Todd Downing, who came to Oakland in 2015 after stints with the Lions and Bills, is believed to be a potential successor in house, Rapoport added. Several teams with vacancies expressed interest in him for offensive coordinator, per Rapoport.
With five head coaching jobs still open and, consequently, dozens of unfilled assistant and coordinator gigs still waiting to be filled, it is surprising to see a talented, tenured coordinator with a top 10 offense looking for work. That being said, there could be plenty of suitors for Musgrave.
Before his time in Oakland, Musgrave was the quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. He's been an offensive coordinator and/or quarterbacks coach each season since 1998.
Making alterations to an offense with a young, ascending franchise quarterback is always risky, but it seems like head coach Jack Del Rio is confident in the remainder of his staff.
