After hiring Antonio Pierce full time this off-season, the Raiders have their work cut out for them. The situation feels a lot like the Lions hire of Dan Campbell in 2021. The Raiders needed to choose a hard-nosed, well respected coach to lead the way for a franchise that’s been laughed at for years. Now, to get where the Lions ended up this year will take much work and much time, but gaining the credibility of having a coach who your players want to play for is a good start.
At OC, Vegas has brought in Luke Getsy, who will surely be an unpopular hire within the online community, but I’m not so convinced it’s the end of the world. People were not fans of the job Getsy did with the Bears offense over the past 2 years, but he didn't exactly have much to work with. Sure, he failed to turn Justin Fields into a high end starter, but the jury is still out on how Fields will do this year, and Getsy was able to utilize Fields in the run game as well as get the spotlight on DJ Moore. I think he has some creativity and could get something started here in Vegas.
At DC, Pierce has retained Patrick Graham, who has been a stable presence within the Vegas defense for the last 2 years. No concerns here. Let's move on to the roster.
Free Agency/Trades: Bring Back Your Own
The Raiders had a lot of role players who did a great job filling out the depths roster last season, and I think it would be best to make sure as many of those guys are back next season as possible. Additionally, Josh Jacobs has said he won't be interested in a long term deal unless he is paid particularly handsomely, so I'd hope to bring him back on a cheap 1 year pact as well. I'm sure not every single one will be back, but aside from Jacobs, they should all be cheap, and I think it is in their best interest and in line with the Antonio Pierce culture to reward those hard workers from last season.
As for outside FAs or trades, the priority should be on QB. You don't really want to go into another season with Aidan O'Connell at the helm, but it doesn't seem like the Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Kirk Cousins, or Baker Mayfield sweepstakes are going to go the Raiders' way, so I'd look to a band-aid option to compete with O'Connell for now.
Notable Free Agents and What I Would Do ($42,035,109 in Cap Space)
• Josh Jacobs (RB) ✅ Re-Sign
• DeAndre Carter (WR) ✅ Re-Sign
• Brandon Parker (OT) ❌ Let Walk
• Jermaine Eleumenor (OT) ✅ Re-Sign
• Bilal Nichols (DT) ✅ Re-Sign
• Amik Robertson (CB) ❌ Let Walk
Notable Free Agent Signings I Would Make ($42,035,109 in Cap Space)
• Jacoby Brissett (QB)
• Efe Obada (DE)
• Leonard Williams (DE)
• Rayshawn Jenkins (S)
NFL Draft: Avoid Overspending on a QB
It feels like everybody is trying to trade up for a QB, and the Raiders' name has been thrown in that pot a bunch. After evaluating this class, I just don't really see it. Aside from Williams and Maye who will go top 2, I don't think anybody else is worth a top 10 pick, where it sounds like many will go. Certainly, I would not trade up for them.
Raiders 2024 Draft Picks
Round 1, Pick 13
Round 2, Pick 44
Round 3, Pick 77
Round 4, Pick 113
Round 5, Pick 147
Round 6, Pick 210 (from KC)
Round 7, Pick 221 (from NE)
Round 7, Pick 225 (from TEN)
Round 7, Pick 227 (from MIN)
In my Raiders mock, I have them drafting (CB) Terrion Arnold in the 1st Round and WR in the 2nd Round. Ideally, my WR4 Adonai Mitchell would fall, but more realistically, a guy like Georgia's Ladd McConkey would be a good pick. We'll punt on QB to next year.
Altogether, here is what the revamped OFFENSE would look like;
QB - Jacoby Brissett + Aidan O'Connell
RB - Josh Jacobs + Zamir White
WR1 - Davante Adams + DeAndre Carter
WR2 - Adonai Mitchell
SWR - Jakobi Meyers + Hunter Renfrow + Tre Tucker
TE - Michael Mayer
This year is destined to be a transition year for Vegas anyway, but they looked good last year under Pierce. They are long shot contenders for a playoff spot in the loaded AFC, but this roster is bound to win some games. They can then have a good idea of who to build around when picking their QB from the draft or by trade next year.
Fantasy Implications
Josh Jacobs ↔️
Davante Adams ↔️
Jakobi Meyers ↔️
Michael Mayer 📈