Report: Jack Del Rio turned down USC Job
By Joe Lipovich
Current Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio turned down the head coaching job at USC.
As a former linebacker and baseball catcher for the USC Trojans, the head coaching job at USC figured to be very tempting for current Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio.
However, according to Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, Del Rio turned down the open USC head coaching position when it was offered to him. Del Rio is currently involved in a rebuilding process with the Oakland Raiders during his first season, and has seen significant strides from both his young team and quarterback Derek Carr.
My understanding is USC checked in on Jack Del Rio a while ago, and he told them he's not leaving the Raiders.
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) November 30, 2015
The Raiders are currently 5-6, and sit in the thick of things in both the AFC West race and the AFC Wild Card standings. In addition, the bright young tandem of Carr and rookie wide receiver Amari Cooper has shown lots of promise in 2015, as Cooper has nabbed 851 yards and four touchdowns this season.
USC has since hired Clay Helton as their new head coach. Helton was the interim coach that took over after Steve Sarkisian was previously fired. However, Helton severely lacks the experience that coaches like Del Rio have. Helton filled in admirably for Sarkisian.
It’s clear that Helton is not the candidate that USC athletic director Pat Haden wanted. A coach like Del Rio would command a top-level salary and would be a huge commitment, so reaching out to a coach such as Del Rio would allude to the fact that the goal was to bring in a top-level name.