Raiders' GM McKenzie: 'I will hire the next coach'

Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie isn't sure who will be patrolling the sidelines as his team's permanent head coach, but he's confident he'll still have a job by then.

"I will hire the next coach," McKenzie said on Tuesday (via NFL.com) after he formally announced Tony Sparano as the Raiders' interim head coach.

The Raiders fired head coach Dennis Allen on Monday night following an 0-4 start capped off by an embarrassing lopsided loss to the Miami Dolphins.

“I had a good talk with Dennis,” McKenzie said (via Pro Football Talk). “I just want to say that I appreciate everything he’s done. He worked hard, very diligent, but I had to make the move and I did that yesterday. 

"Moving forward, I’m excited to bring before you a new interim head coach, Tony Sparano. I’m excited about the experience he brings, the leadership he brings, the passion he brings to get this organization, the Raider organization, to what we need to do, and that’s win.”

With Allen's firing, there was rampant speculation that McKenzie would be next on the chopping block, but according to team owner Mark Davis, the GM's job is safe.