The Raiders have not made the playoffs since 2002 when they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl, and they haven’t had a Super Bowl title since 1983-1984 season.

With Super Bowl 50 being played in the Raiders’ backyard in Santa Clara this week, Oakland heads into the 2016-2017 season with their eyes set on returning to the NFL’s biggest game very soon.

After Oakland Raider’s head coach Dennis Allen was fired early in the 2014-2015 season and was temporarily replaced by Tony Sparano, candidate speculation began swirling around the league.

Fans wondered- who would lead the Raiders back to champion status?

The Raiders believe they found the best man for the job when they hired Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, who just happened to have grown up in Hayward.

Del Rio, who just completed his first season as Oakland’s head coach, was born and raised in the Bay Area and attended Hayward High School, just 15 minutes south of the Raiders’ O.co Coliseum.

“It’s like a dream come true,” Del Rio said in a recent phone interview with The Californian. “It’s something I take a great deal of pride in.”

Last season, the Raiders improved from 3-13 to 7-9 under Del Rio, who also coached the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003-11.

“We feel like this year was a great year to build upon,” Del Rio said, “and we feel like having another strong off-season will put us into position to compete at the very highest level.”

The Raiders are not in an easy division by any means.

Their AFC West rival, and Del Rio’s former team, the  Broncos, have been a powerhouse these last few years, making it to the postseason for the last five years straight including Super Bowl appearance this year and during the 2013-2014 season.

The Kansas City Chiefs have also became a force in the division this year with a 10-game win streak and their first playoff win since 1994. Despite their division rival’s recent success, Del Rio feels confident about Oakland’s ability to compete with them next year.

“Our stated goal is to win the division,” Del Rio said, “We will set our sights on claiming the division and earning [a spot in the postseason] next fall.

“The next step for us is to not just be competitive on Sundays but to win more often on Sundays,” he continued.

The Raiders have made significant progress over this last season, but they are still shy of a winning record.

So how will the Raiders turn things around next season?

“That comes with us staying true to who we are… developing the talent that we have here and we’ll go out and acquire some talent this spring,” Del Rio said, “and in the fall, we bring it all together.

“We’re excited to head into this offseason with a lot of momentum from this year and looking forward to what 2016 might bring,” he said.

But the fate of the Oakland Raiders is still in question for the 2016 season. The lease for O.co Coliseum in Oakland is up for the Raiders, and relocation is the talk of the town. It was a long and painful process last year for the Raiders to extend their lease for a single year through the 2015-2016 season.

This is found to be very upsetting news to current Oakland Raider fans.

“I hate the fact the Raiders could move next year,” senior Amado Canahan said, “I’d rather them move to Sacramento if anywhere.”

Sacramento is not a relocation possibility with the NFL focusing on Los Angeles and San Antonio. ABC7 News recently reported that Raiders owner Mark Davis is “noncommittal” about staying in Oakland next year. But Del Rio hoped the Raiders would stay in Oakland.

“Well, this is where I grew up,” he said. “I came home to be head coach of the Oakland Raiders, and I’d love for that to continue.”

Super Bowl 50 will be held this year just south from Del Rio’s native Hayward at the San Francisco 49er’s Levi Stadium.

Del Rio knows what it takes for a team to make it there, as he was the Baltimore Ravens’ linebacker coach during the 2000-2001 season when the team won its first title.

“They’re typically teams that have been opportunistic,” Del Rio said. “They have good defense, and they have good quarterbacks. These characteristics typically bode well in the NFL.

“I’m not sure if I’ll be attending the actual [Super Bowl] or not,” Del Rio said.

Raider fans don’t care if they see him in attendance at this year’s game, but they’ll be expecting to see him in attendance at the Super Bowl very soon, hopefully hoisting that Lombardi Trophy in the name of the Oakland Raiders for the first time since 1984.