Lane Kiffin said he hopes to be back as Oakland Raiders' coach next season, according to the Associated Press. He said that just a day after reports surfaced that owner Al Davis has asked him to resign from the team.

According to a Associated Press report, the Raiders denied Friday that owner Al Davis asked Coach Lane Kiffin to resign. ESPN, citing unidentified sources, reported that Davis drew up a resignation letter for Kiffin two weeks ago, but the coach refused to sign it. Kiffin has two years left on the contract he signed last January. "There is no issue here," Raiders' senior executive John Herrera said. "There was never an issue here. There's nothing to it."

ESPN.com is reporting that Raiders owner Al Davis has been pushing for Lane Kiffin to resign as his head coach and is considering Dennis Green as a potential replacement, sources close to Kiffin and the team told ESPN's Chris Mortensen. Davis has gone so far to draft a letter of resignation for Kiffin to sign, a source said. Kiffin has refused to do so but has dared Davis to fire him instead. Kiffin, who was 4-12 in his first season as coach, has two years remaining on his contract at an estimated $2 million per year.

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that the Oakland Raiders have a strong interest in Chicago Bears' wide receiver Bernard Berrian. However, the Raiders figure that the Bears will place the franchise tag of their top receiver.

Once Nnamdi Asomugha opts out of his contract - a formality at this point - he'll become an unrestricted free agent. He would demand the biggest cornerback contract this side of Asante Samuel. That's not going to happen. The Raiders will use the franchise-player tag on Asomugha, paying him an estimated $9.2 million for one year of service. They'd like to secure him with a long-term contract, but that ship appears to have sailed.

Rob Ryan apparently will keep his job as the Raiders' defensive coordinator despite recent reports that he would be fired following a disappointing season. Coach Lane Kiffin said Monday he would evaluate Ryan's status quickly. There were reports that Ryan would be fired, but team spokesman Mike Taylor said Friday that Ryan would return for a fifth season with the team.

Warren Sapp told the Oakland Raiders on Thursday that he was retiring, ending the career of one of the best defensive tackles to play in the NFL. Sapp told the Contra Costa Times that he phoned Raiders owner Al Davis with the news Thursday. The Raiders had no official comment, but coach Lane Kiffin hinted at Sapp's decision earlier this week. Sapp, 35, was the quintessential "three technique" tackle during his 13-year career, lining up between the guard and tackle and splitting that gap. Few did it better than Sapp, who made seven Pro Bowls, won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award in 1999, and was a key cog in Tampa Bay's Super Bowl winning defense in the 2002 season. "Every defensive tackle that's drafted in the top five is supposed to be the next (me)," Sapp said earlier this season. "All of them have that tag. ... I've played the game pretty well, so if I'm the standard by which (they'll) be judged, that's tough, because I'd like to relive that guy, too. He's a bad boy. He's dead now. I give you flashes of him every now and then but, nah, that guy was sick."

Sources indicate that Oakland Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has been told he will be fired this week, following the unit's disappointing performance in 2007, the Oakland Tribune reported. Ryan, however, appears ready to land on his feet. According to New York-area reports, New York Jets defensive coordinator Bob Sutton is expected to lose his job. And the Tribune reported that according to sources, Ryan will succeed Sutton in New York. Ryan and Jets coach Eric Mangini were defensive assistants together for four seasons in New England under Bill Belichick.