The Las Vegas Raiders have been circulating in NFL purgatory for a couple of seasons now. They’re a talented roster but can never put it together, but they’re just good enough to win enough games to not get them a pick in the top five of the NFL draft.
Raider Nation has been subject to watching a team that plays with no stakes nor heart for a while now, and that must change. They’ve done a good job at beginning to turn a new leaf by hiring Pete Carroll and involving Tom Brady in their off-season and draft process.
Thomas Valentine is a sports writer for PFF, and he recently published an article where he discusses every team’s ideal off-season plans. For the Raiders, their plan is clear: continue to build on their culture and establish an identity as a football team.
“It’s no secret that the Raiders missed out on their top head coaching choice, Ben Johnson, in the offseason. The consolation prize, though, was Pete Carroll — a pretty good place to land for the Raiders. Caroll is a Super Bowl-winning head coach who has been successful wherever he goes, and it all starts with the culture. That’s what the Raiders will be looking for this offseason.
Las Vegas had just two winning seasons since 2010, and both ended with abrupt losses in the wild-card round. Carroll’s influence on the team should be dialed up to 11. The Raiders haven’t had an identity on the field for a while, and Carroll can instill that. His leadership and work ethic can make this a team worth paying attention to”.
The Raiders may have missed out on Matthew Stafford, but they are reportedly not panicking in the search for their quarterback of the future. They could look for their quarterback in free agency, or they could trade up in the draft to get him.
Either way, they have to attract players who want to play for this team and who want to put the work in. The Raiders have a lot of players leaving in free agency, and they have ten picks in this upcoming draft class. I think they need a near-entire roster retool, keeping the good and doing away with the bad.