Shaun Herock

Raiders Add Brandon Hunt To Front Office

May 15th, 2025 at 1:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

Brandon Hunt‘s time with the Eagles has come to an end. He is the latest addition to the Raiders’ front office, as first reported by ESPN’s Ryan McFadden. The team has since announced the news.

Hunt will head to Vegas with the title of VP of player personnel. He had previously spent time as a key figure in the Eagles’ scouting department, serving as senior director of scouting in 2024. During the previous two years, Hunt held the title of scouting director.

Prior to his stint in Philadelphia, Hunt had a lengthy spell in Pittsburgh. That run from 2010-21 saw him operate as the Steelers’ pro scouting coordinator. As a result, Hunt represents a highly experienced addition to the Raiders’ new-look front office. Of course, this does not mark the first time an Eagles staffer has made the move to Vegas since the draft concluded.

Anthony Patch was hired last week to serve as the Raiders’ new senior personnel executive. That move ended his lengthy run with the Eagles, and the Super Bowl champions will now have even more work to do in terms of replacing high-level front office contributors. The new Raiders regime led by general manager John Spytek, head coach Pete Carroll and minority owner Tom Brady has made a number of notable changes recently, including the hiring of Brian Stark as assistant GM.

This latest move comes in the wake of recent departures in the Raiders’ front office. Per Neil Stratton of Inside the League, Curtis Knox will not be back with the franchise after working as Vegas’ personnel coordinator; likewise, Shaun Herock is no longer in place as the team’s senior personnel advisor. That department will have a number of new faces moving forward, with Hunt taking on a key role with his latest team.

AFC North Notes: Browns, Bengals, Smith

May 14th, 2025 at 6:07pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Browns‘ quarterback room has been under a microscope for years, but this offseason drew added scrutiny with the pure volume of Cleveland’s transactions at the position.

The Browns first traded for Kenny Pickett before reuniting with Joe Flacco in free agency. They then double-dipped on quarterbacks in the draft, taking Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth.

Gabriel was expected to be a Day 3 pick, making his selection in the third round a “mild surprise,” according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, though Cleveland wasn’t a shocking destination. They hosted the left-handed passer for a visit on the same day as Sanders and Cam Ward, who both received more media attention for their links with the Browns. But the team was planning to take Gabriel at pick No. 94 all along, even if Jalen Milroe – who went one pick earlier to the Seahawks – was still available.

The Browns’ acquisition of four quarterbacks this offseason has raised questions about their plans for the position moving forward. At least one will likely be surplus to roster requirements in Cleveland, but as Fowler notes, injuries around the league could draw trade interest in Pickett or Flacco, both of whom have moveable one-year contracts.

Here is the latest from the AFC North:

Browns defensive end Alex Wright has been fully cleared to return to the field after season-ending triceps surgery in 2024, per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal. The 2022 third-rounder showed promise in 2023 with five sacks, but his injury robbed him of the chance to show further progression last year.
Bengals cornerback DJ Turner also received medical clearance to participate in the team’s offseason program, according to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Turner’s 2024 season ended after 11 games due to a broken clavicle, and he will look to retake a starting role in Cincinnati this year.
The Bengals shuffled their front office staff recently. They promoted football data analyst Sam Francis to director of football research, per Inside The League’s Neil Stratton, and hired former Bills intern Trey LaBounty as a scouting research analyst, according to SI.com’s James Rapien. Bengals scout Christian Sarkisian is also departing the staff, being set to take over as the general manager of the Northwestern athletic department, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
University of North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham was originally looking to hire Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith as the Tar Heels next head coach, according to David Hale, Andrea Adelson, and Chris Low of ESPN. Smith has never coached at the college level, but he played guard at UNC from 2001 to 2005. Heading into his second season as Steelers OC, Smith turned down the chance to interview for his alma mater’s HC post. Cunningham ultimately went with Bill Belichick, a decision that has drawn significant scrutiny over the last few months.
The Browns reunited with Shaun Herock in a personnel role, per KRPC2’s Aaron Wilson. Herock was previously a national scout in Cleveland before joining the Raiders as a senior personnel advisor.

AFC West Notes: Herock, Chiefs, Chargers

February 22nd, 2022 at 7:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders are adding a familiar name to their front office. Shaun Herock is joining GM Dave Ziegler‘s staff as a personnel advisor, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). This will interestingly bring Herock back to the Raiders, an organization that has employed both he and his father (Ken Herock). This hire probably should not be too surprising, with Mark Davis calling Ken Herock the “ringleader” of the Raiders’ 2022 GM and HC searches (via The Athletic’s Vic Tafur; subscription required). Shaun finished the 2018 season as the Raiders’ interim GM, working atop Oakland’s front office after Reggie McKenzie‘s exit and before Mike Mayock‘s arrival. Herock worked with the Raiders from 2012-18 and spent the past two years as a Browns national scout. Prior to Herock’s Oakland years, he spent nearly two decades under Ron Wolf and Ted Thompson in Green Bay’s front office.

Here is the latest from the AFC West:

Josh McDaniels added another name to his staff as well. The Raiders are hiring Kennedy Polamalu as their running backs coach, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Polamalu, 58, coached the Vikings’ running backs for the past five seasons. He also worked as the Browns and Jaguars’ running backs coach in the 2000s.
Donald D’Alesio will move from defensive assistant to safeties coach with the Chiefs, the team announced Tuesday. D’Alesio came to Kansas City in 2021 after a stint as Youngstown State’s defensive coordinator.
The Chargers are also dipping into the second-generation ranks. They hired Mike Hiestand as an offensive assistant. Mike is the son of former Bears offensive line coach Harry Hiestand, who took a job at Notre Dame this offseason. Mike Hiestand, 30, worked as an assistant in Denver for the past three seasons.
Nathaniel Hackett‘s first Broncos staff will include Andrew Carter as a defensive quality control coach. Carter spent the past two seasons as a Kansas graduate assistant and had agreed to become Tennessee-Martin’s defensive line coach this offseason. Carter, who also worked as a D-line coach at Hampton and Eastern Illinois, will instead head to Denver for his first NFL gig.

AFC North Notes: Steelers, Burns, Bengals

June 6th, 2019 at 8:44am CST by Zachary Links

This could be the end of the line for Artie Burns‘ career with the Steelers, Ed Bouchette of The Athletic writes (subscription required). The cornerback is due an $800K roster bonus on the first day of training camp, but if he can’t prove himself during minicamp, he’ll likely be released before he can collect that check.

The Steelers had high hopes for Burns after he notched six interceptions in his final season at Miami, but he’s regressed in each of his pro seasons. As a rookie, Burns tied for the team lead with three picks despite starting in only nine games. In 2017, he started in every game, but wasn’t as sharp in coverage and had just one interception. Then, last year, Burns was bumped from the starting lineup and mostly appeared on special teams in the second half of the season. The Steelers already passed on Burns’ fifth-year option for 2020 and they could be on the verge of giving up on him altogether. If they cut him, it’ll be yet another draft disappointment for the team at the cornerback position. As Bouchette notes, the club’s top three corners – Joe Haden, Steven Nelson, and Mike Hilton – all came from outside the draft.

Shifting to the teams that wear orange, here is the latest from the AFC North:

After acting as the Raiders’ interim GM in the wake of Reggie McKenzie‘s ouster, Shaun Herock did not stick with the Jon Gruden–Mike Mayock regime. But the longtime Oakland exec is expected to land on his feet. Herock is on the verge of joining the Browns, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. Although Herock spent seven years in Oakland, he worked extensively with John Dorsey in Green Bay. Herock spent nearly two decades as the Packers’ assistant director of college scouting, working directly under Dorsey (the Packers’ college scouting director for most of that span). The Packers made three Super Bowl appearances during the duo’s time running the Pack’s scouting department. Herock will join ex-Green Bay execs Alonzo Highsmith and Eliot Wolf in Cleveland.
Here’s a bit of a surprise – Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic expects the Bengals to use linebacker Preston Brown in a three-down role this year. Brown was limited by injury in 2018, and he was placed on IR in November, but the club opted to bring him back on a one-year, $4MM deal in March. There was some speculation that the Bengals would still look for an upgrade at the middle linebacker position, but it sounds like Brown is primed for a key role on defense.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Raiders Name Shaun Herock Interim GM

December 10th, 2018 at 5:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Reggie McKenzie‘s exit will leave one of his lieutenants in his old role for the time being. The Raiders will promote Shaun Herock to the de facto GM role, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Herock, who followed McKenzie to Oakland from Green Bay in 2012, is expected to receive an interview for the full-time position, Rapoport adds. Herock previously served as the Raiders’ director of college scouting.

Although Herock was a McKenzie hire, Rapoport notes the 47-year-old executive is Jon Gruden‘s most trusted scout, at least among those he inherited from the McKenzie regime. While it would be a shock if the Raiders did go in-house to name McKenzie’s successor, they will use this arrangement for the time being. This may increase Herock’s chances of remaining with the organization after Gruden tabs the next front office boss.

“He’s a very talented personnel man; he has a lot of Raider history. We’re going to lean on him,” Mark Davis said, via Jerry McDonald of the San Jose Mercury News. “… I expect him to be a big part of this organization going forward, honestly.”

The Raiders may not hire a full-time GM — at least, the new exec may not have that job title — but they are planning to look for a new point person for their front office to work with Gruden. Lions exec Jimmy Raye, Jaguars player personnel director Chris Polian and former Buccaneers GM Mark Domenik — who worked with Gruden during his Tampa Bay tenure — are among names to monitor thus far. The Raiders may be looking for someone with experience and fortitude to push back against Gruden, Albert Breer of SI.com notes.

After spending 19 years in the Packers’ scouting department, finishing his Green Bay tenure as college scouting director, Herock relocated to the Bay Area after McKenzie took the Raiders’ GM job. He’s served in the same role with the Raiders for the past seven years. Herock’s father, Ken Herock, was a former Raider player and exec who worked with Davis during the process that led to McKenzie’s hiring.