Offseason
The first casualty of the Raiders' disastrous 2006 season was head coach Art Shell, who was fired on January 4, 2007. His career record as head coach of the Raiders (including playoffs) was 58–56. The team has interviewed a number of candidates since Shell's firing, including San Diego Chargers assistant coach James Lofton, former New York Giants head coach Jim Fassel, and current Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. USC assistant head coach Steve Sarkisian, considered to be the front runner for the position, withdrew his name from consideration on January 19. On January 22, the team announced the hiring of 31-year-old USC offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, the youngest coach in franchise history and the youngest coach in the NFL.
Kiffin's first staffing hire was former Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, who accepted the same position in Oakland on January 28.
Oakland signed Super Bowl winning running back Dominic Rhodes away from the Indianapolis Colts on March 9, 2007. The next day, the Raiders brought in Justin Griffith from the Atlanta Falcons to help the blocking game.
With the first overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft the Raiders selected quarterback JaMarcus Russell from LSU.
Read more about this topic: 2007 Oakland Raiders Season