Since moving to Las Vegas In 2020, the Raiders organization and its fans have already had what can be considered one of the strangest eras in the franchise’s history. It was a fresh new start for the team with a storied history, but it has already gotten bumpy for the organization. The Las Vegas Raiders had their head coach Jon Gruden resign after having emails leaked to the press which resulted in him suing the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell, an HR scandal involving working conditions for employees, a young promising star wide receiver going to jail for a car crash that resulted in the death of a young woman and her dog, and a uniquely bad season in 2022 where the Raiders blew a record-breaking amount of double-digit leads. How did the Raiders end up here after being in such a great position before moving to Sin City?
Raiders Were On The Right Track
After hiring Jon Gruden for his second stint as head coach of the Raiders in 2018, his 10-year, 100 million-dollar deal seemed to give Raiders fans the idea that they finally had stability in the head coaching position, allowing for the team to rebuild around his philosophy. It looked good for the silver and black. With Derek Carr under center, the Raiders seemed to be improving each season under Jon Gruden. Along with general manager Mike Mayock, Gruden was building a team with players like Derek Carr, Josh Jacobs, Hunter Renfro, Darren Waller, and Henry Ruggs III that could execute his west coast style offense. In 2021, a year after a strange inaugural season in Las Vegas when fans were not allowed to attend NFL games due to covid-19, the Raiders started with a 3-0 record after beating the Ravens, Steelers, and Dolphins. Experts were predicting that the Raiders were contenders to go deep into the playoffs and possibly compete for a Super Bowl. Sadly, that’s not what happened in 2021, even though the Raiders were miraculously able to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and only the second playoff appearance since 2002.
Derek Carr Was The Leader That Overcame
On October 11th, 2021, 5 weeks into the season, Jon Gruden was forced to resign. On November 2nd, 2021 Henry Ruggs III was arrested for a fatal car accident after week 8 of the season. The organization was suddenly on a downward spiral with no clear answer as to how the team will recover from such sudden and unfortunate events. The Raiders would promote special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia to interim head coach. Bisaccia, along with veteran leader Derek Carr would help lead the Raiders to a miraculous playoff appearance, ending a roller-coaster season that started with high expectations.
Where Did It Fall Apart?
Today, neither Rich Bisaccia nor Derek Carr is part of the Las Vegas Raiders organization. Fans who hoped that 2022 would show signs of improvement under Josh McDaniels were given a brutal reality check after losing games with leads as large as 20 points by halftime. Many fans of Raider Nation seem to think that Josh McDaniels used Derek Carr as a scapegoat after another horrible coaching performance by the former Patriot’s offensive coordinator. Some take the claims even further, saying that Josh McDaniels purposely put Derek Carr in a bad position by calling irrational plays on purpose. These are very serious claims, but when you run a draw on 3rd and 5 and you have Derek Carr pass for a career low in passing attempts against a bad Pittsburgh Steelers passing defense, there is bound to be speculation.
Year two for McDaniels will be the year that Raiders fans will want to see some results. There are still weapons on the offense that any quarterback would love including one of the best wide receivers in the league, Devonte Adams. The Raiders have voids to fill at quarterback since releasing Carr. The offensive line improved as the season went on but there is still obvious improvement needed if the Raiders want to be contenders. Not to mention, there are needs on defense, which has seemed to be an issue for Raider Nation for the past 20 years. Where Do The Raiders Go From Here?
2023 will be a telling year for the Raider’s future. Who will be the next quarterback? Will the Raiders go for a free agent or a young draft pick to compete against Jared Stitham? What will they do about Josh Jacobs contract? What Raider Nation wants to know is, will the team be back to rebuilding mode like 2002 through 2014 before Derek Carr was drafted or will they regain the momentum that Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock had? Only time will tell. Expect Raider fans to pay close attention to what Josh McDaniels and General Manager Dave Zeigler do this off-season.
