From the owner’s box to the TV screen?
Mike Mayock was a well-respected draft analyst for many years before getting the call from the Raiders to head up their front office. A return to the TV screen could be in his future — at some point.
According to The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch, Mayock, 63, could eye a return to TV with a couple of suitors involved. Both Amazon and NFL Network have had “exploratory talks” with the former Raiders GM, but a deal is not “imminent,” Deitsch reports.
Amazon could make a viable landing spot for Mayock as the service continues to try and build out personnel for its forthcoming “Thursday Night Football” broadcasts. Mayock previously worked on NFL Network in the booth for “TNF” broadcasts between 2011 and 2013.
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With Daniel Jeremiah firmly entrenching himself as NFL Network’s lead draft analyst following Mayock’s departure, it’s difficult to see where Mayock may fit in with the league’s media arm.
Mayock was a staple of NFL Network’s draft coverage before taking the Oakland (later Las Vegas) job in 2018. With the Raiders and Jon Gruden, Mayock posted records of 7-9, 8-8 and 10-8 before being given his walking papers after the 2021 season.
Kirk Herbstreit, an ESPN college football everyman, reportedly is signing with Amazon as its NFL color commentary voice. Details on his potential deal with the streaming service were not available.
Mayock clearly has all the measurables to make it back to TV, and he certainly passes the eye tests. The world waits to see if he’s a plug-and-play analyst at some point in the near future.