The
2012 season was the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
' 43rd in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL), their 53rd overall, and their first season under head coach
Dennis Allen after he replaced
Hue Jackson
Hue Jackson (born October 22, 1965) is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Georgia State University, a position he has held since 2024. An offensive assistant at both the collegiate and professio ...
, who was fired at the end of the
previous season. It was also their first full season without the ownership of longtime owner
Al Davis
Allen R. Davis (July 4, 1929 – October 8, 2011) was an American professional football executive and coach. He was the managing general partner, principal owner and ''de facto'' general manager of the National Football League (NFL) Oakland Rai ...
, who died on October 8, 2011, and the first season with a non-Davis family member as the general manager since , as
Reggie McKenzie was hired from the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
' organization by Al Davis' son
Mark
Mark may refer to:
In the Bible
* Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark
* Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels
Currencies
* Mark (currency), a currenc ...
on January 10 to be the general manager of the team, and was given full autonomy over the football operations. McKenzie fired Jackson on his first day and hired Allen two weeks later. The Raiders failed to improve on their 8–8 record in
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
, securing them into their tenth consecutive non-winning season and the tenth consecutive elimination from postseason contention.
The Raiders also clinched their divisional rank, securing their fifth consecutive season since 2007 which they finished third or fourth. This was also the first time since the
2009 NFL season
The 2009 NFL season was the 90th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL). The 50th anniversary of the original eight charter members of the American Football League was celebrated during this season.
The preseason started ...
that the team finished with a record below 8–8.
Personnel changes
* On January 3, local radio show – ''95.7 The Game'' – reported that the Raiders had fired their entire defensive staff following a season with some of the worst defensive stats in franchise history. The radio show claimed that
defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator (DC) is a coach responsible for a gridiron football team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's coaching structure, wit ...
Chuck Bresnahan
Charles Evans Bresnahan (pronounced "BREZ-nuh-han"; born September 8, 1960) is an American football coach and former player. He was the defensive coordinator of the Oakland Raiders on two occasions and the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Foot ...
had been fired along with all his assistants, among them linebackers coach
Greg Biekert
Gregory Biekert (born March 14, 1969) is an American football coach and former linebacker in the National Football League (NFL).
Biekert attended Longs Peak Middle School and Longmont High School in Longmont, Colorado, where he lettered in footb ...
, cornerbacks coach
Rod Woodson
Roderick Kevin Woodson (born March 10, 1965) is an American former professional football player for 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Widely considered one of the greatest cornerbacks of all time, Woodson holds the NFL record fo ...
and safeties coach Aaron Ross. When approached for comment, then Raiders' senior executive
John Herrera was quoted as saying ' ''that's not accurate'' '. On January 5, a follow-up report by
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
's ''Pro Football Talk'' reporter Gregg Rosenthal confirmed that the Raiders would be firing their entire defensive staff. The supposed earlier denial by John Herrera was clarified and that the Raiders had informed all of the concerned coaches that they would not be brought back, but would be required to complete the remaining two weeks of their contracts.

* On January 6, the Raiders announced that then current
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
director of football operations
Reggie McKenzie, would become their new general manager. The hiring was confirmed at a news conference on January 10. McKenzie had spent 4 seasons with the then Los Angeles Raiders as a player from 1985 to 1988. He began his career as a front office executive with the Packers in 1994 as a ''Pro Personnel Assistant'' and steadily rose through the ranks, eventually overseeing all of the Packers' scouting efforts and player evaluations as well as being heavily involved in the Packers'
drafting decisions. McKenzie will become the first person besides the late
Al Davis
Allen R. Davis (July 4, 1929 – October 8, 2011) was an American professional football executive and coach. He was the managing general partner, principal owner and ''de facto'' general manager of the National Football League (NFL) Oakland Rai ...
to hold the position of general manager since Davis assumed the role in 1972.
* On January 10, at an official news conference introducing Reggie McKenzie as the new GM, McKenzie conducted his first act in the capacity of GM by announcing that the Raiders would be parting ways with
Head Coach
A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
Hue Jackson
Hue Jackson (born October 22, 1965) is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Georgia State University, a position he has held since 2024. An offensive assistant at both the collegiate and professio ...
after only one season in the job. Jackson had arrived in
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
as the team's
offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator (OC) is a Coach (sport), coach responsible for a gridiron football team's offense (American football), offense. Generally, the offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second ...
under then head coach
Tom Cable
Thomas Lee Cable Jr. (born November 26, 1964) is an American football coach for the Houston Roughnecks of the United Football League (UFL). He served with four National Football League (NFL) franchises between the 2006 and 2021 seasons.
Cable ...
and swiftly turned the Raiders' offense into one of the league's highest-scoring offenses. Jackson was then promoted to the position of head coach after Al Davis had fired Tom Cable at the end of the 2010 season. McKenzie cited the need to start anew as the reason for firing Jackson, stating ' ''I felt there was a need for change at the head-coaching position, from the top. We're moving into a new era. No disrespect to Coach Jackson, but this was something I wanted to do, start anew.'' '
* On January 22, current Defensive Line coach
Mike Waufle
Mike Waufle (born June 27, 1954) is a former American football coach who most recently served as the defensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). Waufle served as defensive line coach for the Oakland Raiders ...
was allowed to leave the Raiders and take up the same position with the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...
. Waufle had been a widely respected coach within the team and received regular praise from veteran defensive linemen
Richard Seymour
Richard Vershaun Seymour (born October 6, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders. He played college football for ...
.
* On January 27, 3 days after the first reports were made, the Raiders officially announced
Dennis Allen as their new head coach, replacing the fired Hue Jackson. Allen had been the current division rival
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
' defensive coordinator. At 39, Allen becomes one of the youngest Head Coaches in the league. As defensive coordinator he had helped turn the Broncos' worst-ranked defense into an aggressive, solid unit in 2011. Allen was signed to a four-year deal and becomes the first defensive-minded head coach hired by the Raiders since the hiring of legendary coach
John Madden
John Earl Madden (April 10, 1936 – December 28, 2021) was an American professional football coach and sports commentator in the National Football League (NFL). He served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978, leading them ...
. GM Reggie McKenzie has promised Allen the freedom to pick and choose his own assistants and have a say on player signings and drafting, input that very few of the Raiders' head coaches had had in the Al Davis era.

* On February 2, the Raiders announced the hiring of current
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
' quarterbacks coach
Greg Knapp
Gregory Fishbeck Knapp (March 5, 1963 – July 22, 2021) was an American professional football coach in the National Football League (NFL). He served as an assistant coach for 25 seasons with the New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, ...
as their new offensive coordinator. Knapp took over from
Al Saunders
Alan Keith Saunders (born February 1, 1947) is an American football coach.
Personal life
Saunders was born in the north London suburb of Hendon as part of a sporting family; his great-uncle, Ron Saunders, played soccer for a number of teams in ...
, who was reassigned within the Raiders' coaching structure. Knapp had a previous stint with the Raiders in
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
and
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
, where he helped the Raiders become one of the league's best rushing teams as they ranked 6th and 10th respectively. Knapp also became the first assistant coach to be hired by Allen in his capacity as head coach.
* On February 2, the Raiders hired
Frank Pollack as their new offensive line coach. Pollack had previously coached the Houston Texans' offensive line for the past 5 seasons and helped create a rushing offense that had ranked in the top two over the past two seasons. Pollack is schooled in the
Zone Blocking
In American football, blocking or interference (or running interference) involves legal movements in which one player uses his body to obstruct another player's path. The purpose of blocking is to prevent defensive players from tackling the ball c ...
philosophy that the Raiders are looking to implement.
* On February 6, the Raiders announced the hiring of
Jason Tarver as their new defensive coordinator and replacement for the fired Chuck Bresnahan. Tarver had previously spent a decade with the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
as a defensive assistant before moving to
Stanford
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...
, where he became a co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach. During his time with the
Cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to
* Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae
***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
, he coached on a defense that was ranked either 1st or 2nd in every major rush defense category.
* On February 8, the Raiders announced that veteran offensive coach Al Saunders would be staying with the team in his new role as ''Senior Offensive Assistant''. Saunders, who had spent 2011 as the Raiders' Offensive Coordinator under Hue Jackson, was allowed to interview for other posts – notably for the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
Established in 1959 ...
' vacant Offensive Coordinator's job – but instead returned to the team.
* On February 14, the Raiders announced the hiring of six assistants; quarterbacks coach
John DeFilippo – returning for his second stint with the Raiders -, defensive backs coaches
Johnnie Lynn
Johnnie Ross Lynn (born December 19, 1956) is an American football coach and former player. He was a defensive back who played for the New York Jets for seven seasons from 1979 to 1986. He became a secondary coach after his playing career ended ...
&
Clayton Lopez, tight ends coach
Mark Hutson, wide receivers coach
Ted Gilmore
Theodore I. Gilmore (born March 21, 1967) is an American football coach and former player. He was most recently the tight ends coach at Michigan State University. While Gilmore has coached tight ends previously at the University of Kansas in 2000 ...
and Defensive Line coach Terrell Williams. Hutson, Gilmore and Williams are all making their first coaching appearances in the NFL. Hutson had been a tight ends and offensive line coach at the collegiate level since 1990, recently working with
Tulane
The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it be ...
. Gilmore had previously worked under ex-Raider Head Coach
Lane Kiffin
Lane Monte Kiffin (born May 9, 1975) is an American football coach who is the head coach at Ole Miss Rebels football, Ole Miss. Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at USC Trojans football, USC from 2005 to 2006, head coach of the National Foo ...
at
USC USC may refer to:
Education
United States
* Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico
* University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina
* ...
, and Terrell Williams had been a defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator for
Texas A&M
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...
.
* On February 17, the Raiders and long-serving Senior Executive
John Herrera agreed on a mutual separation. Herrera had joined the team in 1963 as an errand runner and would go on to hold a position of considerable power within the organisation that saw him oversee media and public relations as well as personnel and business decisions. He formed a close friendship with Al Davis over the years. Noted for being a controversial figure at times, he was characterised by his confrontational personality, culminating in a physical exchange with ''San Jose Mercury News'' columnist Tim Kawakami in 2008. Herrera later announced his retirement from football.
Roster changes
Free agents
Signings
Trades
*On March 30, the Raiders traded
offensive lineman
In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Lorne Campbell (born June 22, 1958) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known best for his role as Ash Williams in Sam Raimi's ''Evil Dead'' horror series, beginning with the short movie '' Within the Woods'' (1978). He has also f ...
to the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
in exchange for
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...
/
kickoff returner
A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another position ...
Mike Goodson
Michael Darryl Goodson Jr. (born May 23, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M. Goodson was selected by the Carolina Panther ...
. The deal came about due to the Raiders' need to fill the void left behind after the departure of Michael Bush in Free Agency.
*On July 23, the Raiders traded
wide receiver
A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
Louis Murphy
Louis Morris Murphy Jr. (born May 11, 1987) is an American former professional American football, football wide receiver. He played college football for the Florida Gators football, University of Florida, where he was a member of two BCS Nation ...
to the Carolina Panthers for a conditional late round draft pick.
2012 draft class
The Raiders did not have first-, second-, third-, fourth- or seventh-round selections heading into the
2012 NFL draft
The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...
due to the following trades:
* Their first-round selection and a conditional
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
selection were traded to the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
in exchange for
QB Carson Palmer
Carson Hilton Palmer (born December 27, 1979) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for the USC Trojans, winning the Heisman Trophy as ...
.
* Their second-round selection and a
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
seventh-round selection were traded to the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
in exchange for third and fourth-round selections in 2011.
* Their third-round selection was forfeited after selecting QB
Terrelle Pryor
Terrelle Pryor Sr. (born June 20, 1989) is an American former professional football wide receiver and quarterback. Considered the most recruited high school football-basketball athlete in southwestern Pennsylvania since Tom Clements, Pryor was ...
in the 2011 Supplemental Draft.
* Their fourth-round selection was traded to the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
in exchange for QB
Jason Campbell
Jason S. Campbell (born December 31, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Auburn Tigers and was selected by the Washington Reds ...
.
* Their seventh-round selection and a conditional 2013 selection were traded to the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
in exchange for
LB Aaron Curry.
Draft
Undrafted free agents
All undrafted free agents were signed following the conclusion of the
2012 NFL draft
The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...
on April 28.
Staff
Final roster
Schedule
Preseason
Regular season
:Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. San Diego Chargers
With the loss, the Raiders began their season 0–1.
Week 2: at Miami Dolphins
With the loss, the Raiders fell to 0–2.
Week 3: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
With the win, the Raiders improved to 1–2. The Pittsburgh Steelers would end up being the only AFC North team Oakland defeated during the 2012 season.
Week 4: at Denver Broncos
With the loss, the Raiders went into their bye week at 1–3.
Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons
With the surprising loss, the Raiders fell to 1–4.
Week 7: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
With the win, the Raiders improved to 2–4.
Week 8: at Kansas City Chiefs
With the win, the Raiders improved to 3–4.
Week 9: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With the loss, the Raiders fell to 3–5.
Week 10: at Baltimore Ravens
With the huge loss, the Raiders fell to 3–6.
Week 11: vs. New Orleans Saints
With the loss, the Raiders fell to 3–7.
Week 12: at Cincinnati Bengals
The Raiders' loss drops their record to 3–8 and secures them their tenth consecutive non-winning campaign. This was
Carson Palmer
Carson Hilton Palmer (born December 27, 1979) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for the USC Trojans, winning the Heisman Trophy as ...
's first game against his former team, the Bengals, who he played for 8 years from 2003 to 2010.
Week 13: vs. Cleveland Browns
With the loss, the Raiders dropped to 3–9 and have therefore been eliminated from playoff contention. This would become the first road victory for the Cleveland Browns since Week 2 of the 2011 season, and the first television blackout for the Raiders since Week 16 of the 2010 season.
Week 14: vs. Denver Broncos
With the loss, the Raiders dropped to 3–10.
Week 15: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Raiders pitched a shutout for the first time since Week 17 of the 2002 Season against the Chiefs. With the win, the Raiders improved to 4–10 and avoided last place in the AFC West by virtue of a head-to-head sweep over the Chiefs (2–12).
Week 16: at Carolina Panthers
With the loss, the Raiders dropped their record to 4–11. The Raiders were swept by the NFC South.
Week 17: at San Diego Chargers
With the loss, the Raiders finished the season with a 4–12 record. They were swept by the Chargers for the first time since
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
.
Standings
References
External links
*
{{2012 NFL season by team
Oakland Raiders seasons
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
Oakland
Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...
Oakland
Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...