Lately, the Raiders’ front office has seen more than its share of departures, from former president Marc Badain just before training camp last season, to interim president Dan Ventrelle’s controversial exit in May.
In the aftermath, team owner Mark Davis turned to a familiar, trusted face and promoted his right-hand man, former Raiders fullback Marcel Reece, to senior vice president and chief of staff.
Reece has held those titles since late May, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Marcel Reece has a new role with the Raiders as senior vice president, chief of staff. Appears it went into effect around May 21. Was previously chief people officer and senior advisor before that. #vegas #raiders #raidernation 📸 @kmcannonphoto pic.twitter.com/ysRguBp8Dl
— Mick Akers (@mickakers) June 3, 2022
Reece, who played for the Raiders from 2009 to 2015 and earned three Pro Bowl nods during that time, has been in Las Vegas’ front office since October 2020, when he took on the role of senior advisor to the owner and president. He had since been promoted to chief people officer and senior advisor.
In an explosive article by the New York Times that described an allegedly dysfunctional front office led by Davis, Reece was identified as a rising star within Davis’ ranks, and that certainly held true with Reece’s most recent promotion.
In his playing days, Reece was one of the last diamonds-in-the-rough located by the late owner of the team, Al Davis. Listed as a wide receiver at the University of Washington, Reece caught just 48 career passes as a collegiate. He was explosive, however, averaging 20.4 yards a catch with the Huskies.
As an undrafted, converted fullback, Reece continued to make big plays and was a deadly specialist out of the backfield, racking up 2,015 receiving yards as a Raider with 12 touchdown receptions. He averaged a robust 9.9 yards per catch for the silver and black. He also averaged 4.6 yards per rushing attempt and had three touchdowns on the ground.
The end of his playing career with the Raiders happened rather abruptly, however. He was cut upon returning from a league suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. This was after the elder Davis passed away, with former general manager Reggie McKenzie breaking ties with Reece.
Still, Reece is loyal to the Davis family, and for good reason, since the elder Davis gave him a shot to make his mark on the playing field. Now the younger Davis is giving him a chance to shine in the front office. If he thrives in that role as he did as a specialist fullback, the Raiders’ C-suite will certainly turn a corner for the better.
