Mike Mayock, Not Jon Gruden, Is on the Hot Seat for the Raiders in 2021

Life isn't always fair in the NFL, which explains why Las Vegas Raiders general manager Mike Mayock sits on the hot seat while Jon Gruden's chair feels as cool as the other side of the pillow going into a crucial season.

Gruden is protected by the Raiders' chain of command. He's at the top of the food chain. When Mayock took the front-office job in December 2018, he told ESPN's Steve Levy that his head coach would have the final stamp on roster decisions but that they would have spirited discussions.

"In all honesty, Jon's got final say, if it ever comes to that, and I've got zero problems with that," Mayock said. "Now, having said that, I think we're going to come to a consensus and I like a little yelling, a little screaming, a little fighting for what player you believe in."

Nonetheless, Mayock would likely have to take the majority of the blame if the Raiders trend in the wrong direction. Why? Gruden's 10-year, $100 million contract signed in January 2018 says so.

Over the last two years, Vegas has whiffed on several roster moves, including big-money free-agent signings, trades and high draft picks.

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

During the 2019 offseason, the Raiders acquired Antonio Brown from the Pittsburgh Steelers for a third- and a fifth-round draft pick. After a summer of drama, they released him before he could play a regular-season snap. Mayock accepted fault for that failed experiment.

In the same offseason, Vegas made offensive tackle Trent Brown the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history at four years, $66 million with $36.74 million fully guaranteed. Though he earned a 2019 Pro Bowl nod, he missed half the games in two years with the club.

According to The Athletic's Vic Tafur, people at the team facility believe Brown weighed 400 pounds during the 2020 campaign—up from 380 pounds. The Raiders traded him and a 2022 seventh-round pick to the New England Patriots in March for a 2022 fifth-round pick.

In 2019, Vegas signed safety Lamarcus Joyner to a four-year, $42 million contract, but he struggled as a slot cornerback. He called his role with the team a "misfit" but embraced it as his "natural position" while playing for the Silver and Black.

Lately, the Raiders have taken criticism for draft whiffs and miscalculations.

On Monday, Vegas waived 2020 third-rounder Tanner Muse, which drew ire from the fanbase. The Clemson product will join the Seattle Seahawks practice squad, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. He'll also go down as a reach under the Mayock-Gruden regime, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Take a look at the Raiders' past two drafts and the projected roles of players they selected in the first three rounds. Remember, Vegas traded edge-rusher Khalil Mack for picks that turned into Josh Jacobs, Damon Arnette and Bryan Edwards. The club also traded wideout Amari Cooper for a first-rounder that became Johnathan Abram.

Mack and Cooper have combined for five Pro Bowls and an All-Pro season since those deals.

• 1st round, 4th overall: DE Clelin Ferrell (backup)
• 1st round, 24th overall: RB Josh Jacobs (Pro Bowl starter)
• 1st round, 27th overall: S Johnathan Abram (starter)
• 2nd round, 40th overall: CB Trayvon Mullen (starter)

• 1st round, 12th overall: WR Henry Ruggs III (starter)
• 1st round, 19th overall: CB Damon Arnette (backup)
• 3rd round, 80th overall: WR Lynn Bowden Jr. (traded in 2020)
• 3rd round, 81st overall: WR Bryan Edwards (starter)
• 3rd round: 100th overall: LB Tanner Muse (waived Monday)

Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

This offseason, the Raiders signed defensive end Yannick Ngakoue and cornerback Casey Hayward Jr. Both will start, which tells you what they thought about Ferrell and Arnette in key roles.

Although Abram will start, he's under pressure with rookie fourth-rounder Tyree Gillespie behind him on the depth chart. Rookie third-rounder Divine Deablo can also play strong safety in addition to linebacker.

Ruggs and Edwards have a lot to prove after they had underwhelming rookie campaigns. As the top wide receiver selected in the 2020 class, the former caught 26 passes for 452 yards and two touchdowns. The latter only hauled in 11 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown.

For the most part, Mullen has looked solid on the boundary, but he had some lapses in coverage last year, allowing five touchdowns and a 62.1 percent completion rate.

Though edge-rusher Maxx Crosby and wideout Hunter Renfrow have exceeded expectations as Day 3 selections, the Raiders haven't translated recent premium draft capital into much production.

Between the last two drafts, among nine selections in the top 100, Jacobs is the only high-end contributor and Pro Bowl-caliber player.

Scot Tucker/Associated Press

For Mayock, who became a well-respected draft analyst on NFL Network, this looks terrible on paper, which begs the question: How much influence does he have over these selections with Gruden in the room?

Regardless, Mayock feels the pressure. He talked about his 2021 playoff expectations with reporters last week:

"I think Jon and I would both tell you that we feel like we need to be a playoff team this year. And I don't think there's any doubt about that. And you guys are all going to put that in your headlines and I understand it. But that's what the expectation is. We think we've done the infrastructure work necessary to put us in position. We've got to take care of business."

When NBC Sports' Peter King asked Gruden about his 19-29 record since 2018, he chose to talk about the Raiders' recent progress and why the team came up short down the stretch over the last two seasons:

"We had, I think, 20 new starters my first year. Our second year, we got off to a pretty good start. We lost our right tackle. We lost our right guard. We lost our featured back down the stretch. ... Got off to a good start last year. Decimated at times because of [COVID-19]. We had a tough schedule. But we were in the playoff hunt last couple years until the latter part of the season. I think we are improving. But I don't like to lose. I don't like hearing 19-29. I do like the feeling of progress."

According to King, owner Mark Davis hasn't placed a "win-now mandate" on Gruden, but he's unsure about Mayock's status.

Tafur provided the most telling comment in a mailbag response.

"If Gruden's seat ever gets warm, he just chucks it out the window and gets another one," Tafur wrote. "There are a couple of scapegoats already lined up for next season if the Raiders don't improve on 8-8."

Since Gruden's return, the Raiders have fired a general manager (Reggie McKenzie in 2018) and a defensive coordinator (Paul Guenther in 2020). Because of the underwhelming return from the top of recent draft classes, Mayock would likely take the fall for a disappointing 2021 season. Don't expect Gruden to excuse himself with seven years left on his contract and enough power to pass the buck on to someone else.

Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.