It’s not often that a coach retires right before training camp, but that happens to be the case for Kirby Smart of the Las Vegas Raiders.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, running back coach Kirby Wilson has decided to retire after 35 years of coaching. He has been the running backs coach for the Las Vegas Raiders for two seasons but has coached in that role for 10 different reams from 1995 including in college and in the NFL.
#Raiders RBs coach Kirby Wilson, one of the game’s most respected, has informed the team he is retiring, source said. A RBs coach for 7 teams over the past two decades, Wilson now steps aside.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 16, 2021
Wilson turns 60 in August and the reason he retired is not yet known. However, he’s been one of the league’s best running back coaches for the past two decades as he has coached numerous 1,000-yard rushers. He’s been a big reason for the success of Josh Jacobs, who has totaled more than 1,300 yards in back-to-back seasons under Wilson.
The Raiders have not announced who will take his place, but the Raiders could promote Taver Johnson, or John Morton to that role in the upcoming days.
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