Dennis Allen wants assistants back

— -- ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Oakland Raiders coach Dennis Allen drove out of the team's facility late Tuesday afternoon, stopped for reporters, rolled his window down and said he had no news to share before driving off into the night.

Allen met with team owner Mark Davis, a source confirmed to ESPN.

A source told ESPN.com earlier in the day that the fate of several assistant coaches had emerged as a potential sticking point between Davis and Allen, whose own future with the franchise remained uncertain. Sources told ESPN that Allen's assistants still do not know their fates.

The main topic undoubtedly discussed in Davis and Allen's end-of-season meeting revolved around the coach's vision for the future and realistic expectations for a team that has gone 4-12 in each of the past two seasons.

Allen wants to retain his assistant coaches with two-year contracts but has been met with resistance from Davis, who wants to offer them one-year deals, a league source confirmed to ESPN.com.

Allen, who has two years left on his four-year contract, is expected to be retained. He said last week he did not expect a heavy turnover in his staff.

According to a source, only two of Allen's assistants -- offensive coordinator Greg Olson and linebackers coach Bob Sanders -- are still under contract. The contracts of everyone else, including defensive coordinator Jason Tarver, assistant head coach/offensive line coach Tony Sparano and special-teams coordinator Bobby April, are set to expire.

Billed as a defensive-minded coach, Allen has been unable to significantly elevate Oakland's defense. The Raiders finished 18th in total defense in 2012 and 22nd this season.

The 41-year-old Allen, who served as the Denver Broncos' defensive coordinator before coming to Oakland, is the Raiders' eighth head coach in the past 13 seasons.

The Raiders have not had a winning season since 2002, when they went to the Super Bowl under Bill Callahan.