The Las Vegas Raiders are in a familiar position. They head into the offseason, looking to hire a new head coach. Antonio Pierce won the job when he was the interim head coach but failed to impress this season. To make matters worse, the GM was let go as well. The team is headed for another complete reset, something that seems to happen every two to three years for this franchise. There are so many questions for this offseason. Here are three of the most important.
1. Should The Las Vegas Raiders Trade Maxx Crosby?
Maxx Crosby has been the heart and soul of the Las Vegas Raiders for the past few years. This year, he struggled with injuries, but he is a force on the defensive line. He is only 27 years old and has racked up 59.5 sacks in his career to go along with 366 tackles and nine forced fumbles. The former All-Pro hasn’t been quiet about wanting to win. This rebuild might not be on his timeline. It would not be shocking if he demanded a trade, but would the team actually do it?
The offer might be too good to refuse for the Las Vegas Raiders. It isn’t often a 27-year-old elite pass rusher hits the open market. The price would likely be multiple first-round picks and either a young player or later-round picks. This would be the perfect opportunity for a team that needs draft capital to start stockpiling. Basically, every team can use a pass rusher, so they would have no shortage of suitors if they put him up for trade. I would expect Crosby to hear the vision of the new head coach and then make a decision from there.
2. Are They Drafting Too Late For A Quarterback?
The Las Vegas Raiders are picking sixth in a draft that only has two quarterback prospects people are excited about. Even the excitement around those two is limited. They could trade up, but that would likely include them giving up tons of picks and possibly Crosby. Some mock drafts have had them trading back into the late first round to select someone from the next tier of prospects, but that is a risky strategy as it takes two to trade. Sticking with Aidan O’Connell probably isn’t the answer either.
Whoever the new GM is will have his work cut out for him. The team could look to sign an aging veteran, like Kirk Cousins or Aaron Rodgers, for one year and hope for the best. If it works, great! If not, they can grab a quarterback in the loaded 2026 class. The worst thing the Las Vegas Raiders could do is waste valuable rebuilding resources on one player. It’s important to find a quarterback but this team has so many holes they should go for quantity.
3. How Good Is Tom Brady At Evaluating Talent?
Every report I’ve seen in the past week points to Tom Brady being heavily involved in the Las Vegas Raider’s front-office decisions. He will likely have a say in the head coach, GM, quarterback, and other personnel decisions. The broadcasting gig didn’t quite satisfy the football itch for the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback. He seems hungry to make his mark in the front office. While some will see it as a foregone conclusion he will succeed, onfield success doesn’t always translate to off the field prowess.
The best example of this comes from basketball. Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest player of all time. He won six NBA championships, dominating the NBA in the 1990s. However, his ventures in the front office did not go well. He was historically bad as an owner. Jordan couldn’t evaluate the talent and put together a team that could win games. Head coach Phil Jackson had similar struggles. He coached all-time great teams but couldn’t build a roster that could compete. Brady might be very good at the job, but no one really knows. One thing is clear: he has plenty of pull within the organization.
Final Thoughts
The Las Vegas Raiders can never seem to get these decisions right. However, there are some quality coaching candidates, and maybe having someone other than Mark Davis make football decisions is a good thing. Tight end Brock Bowers is coming off a historic rookie season and is a building block for this offense moving forward. Can they finally get the head coach and GM combination right and get back into contention in the AFC?
