Getty
Former Las Vegas Raiders interim head coach Rich Bisaccia.
Many of the Las Vegas Raiders‘ recent woes could be traced back to the 2021 season and the decisions the franchise made after it. After head coach Jon Gruden resigned, special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia stepped in as the interim head coach.
He led the Raiders to their second playoff appearance in two decades. The players badly wanted him to be named the permanent head coach, but owner Mark Davis decided to go with Josh McDaniels instead. He didn’t even make it two seasons, and then Davis had to hire interim head coach Antonio Pierce so the players didn’t revolt.
Bisaccia decided to take the special teams coordinator job with the Green Bay Packers and has been there for the past four seasons. It looked like he was set to continue coaching in Green Bay for a fifth season, but he abruptly announced that he’s stepping away from football.
“After taking some time to reflect over the last few weeks, I have made the decision to step down as the assistant head coach and special teams coordinator of the Green Bay Packers,” Bisaccia said in a statement. “I am incredibly grateful to Matt LaFleur, Brian Gutekunst, Ed Policy and Mark Murphy for their unwavering trust and support throughout my time in Green Bay. I am also thankful to the players for their consistent work and relentless effort to improve every single day. I would like to thank everyone in the organization for their dedication and commitment. The people in this building make it a special place to work.
“I want to also thank our fans and the people throughout the Green Bay community for their passion and love for this team. Coaching for the Green Bay Packers was truly an honor, and I will always be grateful for my time here. I look forward to whatever is next for me and my family, and I wish nothing but the best for everyone in the organization.”
Packers Didn’t Want Bisaccia to Go
This wasn’t a mutual decision between the Packers and Bisaccia. It’s clear that they wanted him to say, as head coach Matt LaFleur said, he was “disappointed” about losing the coach.
There was no reasoning as to why Bisaccia decided to leave the Packers. He’s 65 now, so he could be thinking about retirement. He grew up in the Northeast. Perhaps he wants to be closer to home for his final years of coaching.
Regardless, it’s notable that he didn’t say anything about retirement. Until he says otherwise, he likely has plans to coach elsewhere in the future.
Jordan Love Recently Praised Bisaccia
Though he has always been a special teams coach, Bisaccia had a reputation for being a strong leader. He was able to affect players all over the roster. Prior to the news of Bisaccia stepping down, Heavy Sports had a chance to speak with Packers quarterback Jordan Love about the coach.
“I love Rich. I think he’s a great coach, he’s a great man, great leader, and I think his time will come,” Love told Heavy Sports when asked about the lack of head coaching interest in Bisaccia.
Austin Boyd has covered the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com since 2019. A Los Angeles native now based in Las Vegas, his featured work at Heavy includes interviews with NFL stars Darren Waller and Joe Montana, and a behind-the-scenes look at “The Shop.” More about Austin Boyd
More Heavy on Raiders
Loading more stories