Raiders set to interview Eliot Wolf for senior personnel job

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Jon Gruden is back with the Raiders. The Wolf family could be next.

Eliot Wolf, whose father Ron Wolf spent more than two decades as a Raiders scout and executive, is scheduled to interview this week for a senior position in the Raiders’ personnel department, sources said Tuesday. General manager Reggie McKenzie confirmed the plan, adding it may not be much of an interview given his relationship with the talent evaluator.

Wolf, 35, broke into the NFL in 2004 as a pro personnel assistant for the Green Bay Packers. McKenzie served as a mentor for Wolf until joining the Raiders in 2012. Meanwhile, Wolf continued to rise up the ranks, ascending to the Packers’ director of football operations in 2016.

Ted Thompson was the Packers’ general manager from 2005 to 2017. Wolf’s services became available after Brian Gutekunst was hired this week as his replacement.

Before Wolf visits the Raiders, he first must complete an interview with the Cleveland Browns without finalizing a contract. He spent Tuesday with the organization.

“I’m bringing him in tomorrow (Wednesday) or really Thursday to see if he wants to join The Force,” McKenzie said with a laugh. “No job has been offered. Just bring him in to interview. I know him. Ain’t got to interview much. I want him to see what’s happening and see if he wants to be a part of what we’re doing.”

An offer appears inevitable. For now, the job title is undefined, hence no offer being made yet. That will be part of their discussions, McKenzie said.

Wolf’s arrival would be appropriate, not only because McKenzie worked closely with him in Green Bay but because Wolf’s father Ron was a colleague of both Gruden and McKenzie during their NFL upbringings. The two men briefly overlapped in Green Bay. Gruden was there from 1992 to 1994 as an offensive assistant and wide receivers coach. McKenzie first arrived as a scout in 1994 shortly after his NFL career as a linebacker ended.

“Reggie and I come from the same tree in Green Bay, raised by Ron Wolf as young Green Bay Packers,” Gruden said on Tuesday when asked who’d make the final roster decisions. “I think we have a similar viewpoint in terms of what kind of players we are looking for. It has got to be a collaborative effort, whether it be a salary cap decision, a free-agent acquisition or who we draft. We’ve got to work together. I think that is the great thing about being here. We are going to be united, we are going to work hard, and we are going to assemble the best team possible.

“We aren’t always going to agree, and Reggie will probably win. Look at the size of the guy! You know what, I don’t want to agree with everybody. I want to work hard and try to pursue every vehicle possible to improve the Oakland Raiders.”

McKenzie agreed on the notion.

“It is a team effort,” he said. “We are a team. It is going to be a Raider decision, bottom line. We are going to work great together.”

Soon, Eliot could join their team.

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Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.