It’s already beginning to feel like the offseason for the Las Vegas Raiders, with a lot of speculation and rumors to catch up on, so let’s get started.
Since his arrival, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has been a subject of intense debate at times. Last year, Raiders fans swore he was on the cusp of building an “elite” defense. To aid in this, general manager Tom Telesco signed one of the biggest free agents this past offseason. You all remember defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. Unfortunately, Wilkins, like most of his cohorts, succumbed to injury, and Graham never had the opportunity to use his full unit as intended.
Prior to the current season, the league viewed Graham as a viable head coach candidate. Despite the interviews, he returned to the Raiders. However, following a disastrous season under first-time head coach Antonio Pierce, could we be witnessing his final days with the team?
Raiders DC Patrick Graham didn’t get a new contract…
League insider Tom Pelissero ignited controversy this weekend with a highly intriguing nugget. It turns out that Graham declined a contract extension this past offseason, effectively making him a lame-duck coordinator. Graham, without a long-term deal in place, likely planned to pursue other opportunities this offseason. Well, we can only speculate.
Considering how the season ended up playing out, anything can happen. Right now, rumors are rampant. No one really knows what will happen to the current Raiders coaching staff, Pierce and Graham included. Looking back, we can only speculate why Graham opted for this route. Perhaps, going into this season, he expected to field a unit so impressive that teams would be lining up to interview him for a head coaching vacancy. Is it possible he felt slighted by not being considered for Pierce’s job this offseason?
Maybe we’ll get answers one day. Speaking of Pierce, we’re getting more conjecture on how this offseason will play out.
Tom Brady could have a say in the head coach conundrum…
Majority owner Mark Davis didn’t fight to bring in Brady just for his looks. Davis has always understood that his strength isn’t in football operations; he’s a good businessman, no doubt, but the on-field results speak for themselves. With Brady as his right-hand man, it’s clear that the former Super Bowl champion will have a voice in decisions that will have a profound impact on the Raiders.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic recently expressed her belief that Brady will have a say in the next head coach (or whether Pierce stays).
“But what I’ve learned recently is it’s not just going to be Tom Brady’s thoughts on the quarterback position, which would make sense, right? But really, how involved Tom Brady is going to be in all regards in everything that has to do with the Las Vegas Raiders. Which, look, you’re Mark Davis. You’re frustrated. You haven’t been able to get this thing right in a long time. So they’re going to have to decide on their head coach with Antonio Pierce. I’ve talked to people around the league who believe that this is probably going to be it for Pierce. But I think Tom Brady is going to have a big hand in helping Mark Davis navigate the next steps here.”
What should the Raiders do at QB?
Regardless of how you feel about Brady as a Raiders fan, it’s in his best interest to make sure that the team succeeds. As an owner, he didn’t just buy in for the sake of it. If both Davis and Brady want to fix the litany of problems that plague their organization, the quarterback position must be the priority.
What about a signal-caller many had going to the Raiders in their mock drafts before this season? Russini also mentioned that the original plan for the Minnesota Vikings was for Sam Darnold to be a stopgap solution.
Meanwhile, McCarthy was expected to gradually develop behind him. However, with McCarthy’s injury and the sudden emergence of Darnold as a viable quarterback option, the situation may have changed. “The Vikings have a problem—Darnold has been almost too good (not in a bad way, but in a “this is now complicated” way). McCarthy hasn’t played since August, and realistically he won’t be fully in the mix until spring at the earliest,” Russini stated. Imagine a scenario where the Raiders could flip their top pick this year for McCarthy. If nothing else, you’d have to be intrigued if you’re Davis and Brady.
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