Off-Season Primer- Las Vegas Raiders

Off-Season Primer - Las Vegas Raiders

2023 Record- (8-9)

In 2023, the Las Vegas Raiders had a tale of two seasons. After starting 3-5, the team fired Head Coach Josh McDaniels and General Manager Dave Ziegler. Linebackers Coach Antonio Pierce was named the interim head coach while the Assistant general Manager Champ Kelly was named the interim general manager.

The Raiders played much better football in the second half of the season under Pierce, going 5-4, but once again missed out on the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive season. After the season, Pierce was named the full-time head coach and Tom Telesco was hired as the new general manager after an extensive search by the Raiders.

Overall, Las Vegas went 8-9 despite spotty play at the quarterback position. Veteran Jimmy Garoppolo only played in 7 games due to injury and struggled when he was on the field. He finished the season with 1,205 yards and 7 touchdowns, but also threw 9 interceptions. Rookie signal caller Aidan O’Connell took over the starting job late in the season and showed some promise, but didn't do enough to put a stranglehold on the starting quarterback position heading into 2024. He played in 11 games and threw for 2,218 yards and 12 touchdowns with 7 interceptions. Garoppolo has been suspended for using a PED for the first 2 games of the 2024 season and is widely considered to be an eventual cap casualty for the Raiders. 

Draft Picks

Round 1 - (13)

Round 2- (44)

Round 3- (77)

Round 4- (113)

Round 5- (147)

Round 6- (210)

Round 7- (221)

Round 7- (225)

Round 7- (227)

Free Agents

Projected Cap Space - Approximately $55MM

C- Andre James

DT- Adam Butler

CB- Amik Robertson

G- Greg Van Roten

DT- Bilal Nichols

TE- Jesper Horsted

RB- Brandon Bolden

RB- Josh Jacobs

WR- DeAndre Carter

DT- Josh Jenkins

FB- Jakob Johnson

T-Brandon Parker

TE- Austin Hooper

G/T- Jermaine Eluemunor

C- Hroniss Grasu

LB- Curtis Bolton

RB- Ameer Abdullah

CB- Tyler Hall

RB- Austin Walter

S- Isaiah Pola-Mao

G- Jordan Meredith

LB- Kana’i Mauga

Josh Jacobs was the league's leader in rushing yards just two years ago but has suffered through injuries and inconsistency since. The Raiders will have to decide if Jacobs is worth a raise or if they continue to ride the hot hands of Zamir White who had a better yards per carry average than Jacobs. 

The offensive line is about to take a big hit with 3 of their starters set to hit free agency. Center Andre James, guard Greg Van Roten and tackle Jermaine Eluemunor all played at least 13 games in 2023. Las Vegas will have to decide who they want back, with a loaded tackle class this year, Draft Nation can see Eluemunor being sent on his way.

On defense, the Raiders are set to lose more depth than anything. They only have 2 starters up for free agency. Las Vegas has a lack of depth at the cornerback position so Amik Robertson should be targeted by the team for retention. Robertson has become a dependable cornerback over his 4 seasons in the league\. The other starter set to hit free agency is defensive tackle Bilal Nichols. With Adam Butler and Josh Jenkins also set to hit free agency, the Raiders could have a huge hole to fill in the middle of their defensive line. 

All-in-all, the Raiders are not set to lose a lot of talent and have over 50 million dollars to fill the holes they deem necessary.

Biggest Needs 

QB

DT

OL

CB

The Raiders are yet another team who needs to address their quarterback situation. Do they trade for Justin Fields? Do they hope one slides to the #13 spot? Or do they take a run at a veteran free agent, like Kirk Cousins?

They will have holes on their defensive and offensive lines that will need to be addressed. At #13, they could most likely have a top 3 offensive tackle. 

The Raiders have over $50MM dollars and 9 draft picks to try and replenish a team that picked up a bit of momentum in the second half of the 2023 season. It will be interesting to see what Head Coach Antonio Pierce and General Manager Tom Telesco come up with.