Barring a surprise turn of events, the Las Vegas Raiders will likely pick first overall in the draft next spring. They can clinch it with a loss, and a New York Giants win will prevent them from moving down to two regardless. Even if the Giants nab the first pick, they don’t need a QB, so all options will be on the table for Las Vegas no matter what.
What the Las Vegas Raiders should do next
The first and most important thing the Las Vegas Raiders need to do is fire Pete Carroll or convince him to retire again. They were supposed to be a surprise team with Geno Smith, Carroll, and Ashton Jeanty, but things went horribly wrong. Carroll is clearly not at NFL coaching level anymore.
And even if he was, the Raiders need a younger coach to pair with, presumably, a top draft pick QB. Fernando Mendoza seems to be the most likely, but Dante Moore, Ty Simpson, and others might be a consideration, too.
To ensure they get the right player, they should have the head coach position sorted first. That way, the coach gets the QB he wants, and they can start right away. This is always the better option, and more teams should do it.
The Carolina Panthers would be better if they’d had Dave Canales starting in Bryce Young’s rookie season. Having Ben Johnson for Caleb Williams’ first year would’ve paid off. Having anyone better than Brian Callahan for Cam Ward’s rookie season would’ve helped the QB.
It’s not always possible, like with Johnson turning down HC opportunities that year or Canales not being remotely ready to be a head coach yet. But when it is possible, teams should jump on it. Don’t let Carroll go for another lame-duck year. Just fire him and get moving towards the future.
Other things to do moving forward
Fixing the head coach and quarterback combo is a big step in the right direction, but this Las Vegas Raiders team has a host of other issues. They’ve got to find out a way to move on from Geno Smith. He can serve as a bridge for Mendoza or whoever else, but he should be out the door by 2027.
That might be costly, but it’s the bed they’ve made. The Raiders also need to fix the offensive line badly. For one thing, you don’t want to throw your young (perhaps rookie) franchise QB behind a porous line. That never bodes well.
For another, a good offensive line will go a long way towards helping Ashton Jeanty. We saw only glimpses of what he could be this year. If the Raiders can figure out how to block for him, they’ll be in tremendous shape. Load up there in the draft and free agency.
Finally, they could also use a pass-catcher or two. Brock Bowers is a nice weapon, but he is basically alone following the Jakobi Meyers trade. They should probably spend a second or third-round pick on someone at wide receiver, maybe one of the following:
- Denzel Boston
- Makai Lemon
- KC Koncepcion
- Zachariah Branch
- Antonio Williams
That won’t fully answer their WR question, but it will help. And they can always use Bowers as the de facto WR1, like the Kansas City Chiefs so often have with Travis Kelce. Eventually, they’ll need a legit wide receiver, but they can work with Bowers and a mid-level receiver in the meantime.
If the Raiders can do these things, they’ll be in much better shape. The AFC West seems like a nightmare. The Chiefs are bad now, but in two years, they’ll be humming again. The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers are both really good now, which isn’t ideal. Nevertheless, Las Vegas must begin building properly.
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