The last time I talked to John Madden was at the Marriott in downtown Indianapolis during the 2015 NFL Combine.
It was early in the morning and Madden was headed to an NFL competition committee, which he was still an advisor for.
I asked his thoughts on the Raiders recent hiring of Jack Del Rio and he excitedly explained why he thought it was a good pairing. He said the Raiders needed “an adult in the room.” Madden was completely invested in the Raiders until his death Tuesday at the age of 85. He was a sounding board for Raiders owner Mark Davis and I wouldn’t be shocked if they recently talked about Davis’ pending decision at head coach.