Oakland Raiders managing general partner Al Davis interviewed New York Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride on Saturday, according to an NFL Network report.

Raiders officials said they knew of the report but were unaware of any such interview taking place. Earlier this week, Raiders senior executive John Herrera said the Raiders had not requested permission from the Giants to interview Gilbride.

However, Herrera admitted there remained a possibility Davis would interview Gilbride at some point. A source close to Davis said that Gibride's name came up in conversations with Davis several times within the past month. A person familiar with the situation confirmed that the Raiders contacted Gilbride on Saturday night.

The NFL Network report said Davis conducted the interview by phone. Davis has been slowed by swelling in his knee and ankle the past month and isn't able to get around the way he used to.

Teams have until the end of Sunday to interview Gilbride, per league rules for coaches whose teams are involved in the playoffs. Gilbride can't be interviewed beyond Sunday or hired until the Giants' season ends. Their first playoff game is next weekend.

Tom Cable replaced the fired Lane Kiffin after four games for the Raiders. His contract expires Jan. 13. Even so, he is under consideration for the coaching job on a permanent basis. He is expected to interview with Davis within the next week.

Gilbride's lone head-coaching experience in the NFL came in 1997-98 with the San Diego Chargers. He was fired after 22 games and a 6-16 record. Before that, he was the head coach at Southern Connecticut State from 1980-84. He has worked in the NFL in some capacity for every season except 2001 for the past 20 years.

Gilbride's attraction to the Raiders comes from the wonders he has worked with the Giants' offense during his two seasons there.

The Giants' offense ranked seventh this season at an average of 355.9 yards per game in the regular season. Also, his offense tied for third in points scored at an average of 26.7.

Perhaps most important, the Giants led the league in rushing at an average of 157.4 yards and 5 yards per carry. By comparison, the Raiders were 10th in both categories, at 124.2 and 4.3.

Davis is said to be impressed by the way Gilbride handled an offense that featured three top-tier running backs — Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw.

All three backs averaged at least 5 yards a carry. Jacobs and Ward surpassed 1,000 yards and combined for 17 touchdowns.

Raiders play-callers this season — Kiffin, Greg Knapp and Cable, respectively — struggled finding the proper mix with Justin Fargas, Darren McFadden and Michael Bush.

Oakland's trio combined for only eight touchdowns and none of them averaged more than 4.4 yards per carry.