Offseason mistakes the Raiders must avoid in 2023
The Las Vegas Raiders are going to be a very interesting team to watch during this offseason, and they already look poised to make some noise. Moving on from Derek Carr is not a smart idea. Apparently, the team may just flat out cut Carr, and reports would indicate that the asking price for his services is only a third round pick.
Safe to say that the Raiders have gone about this the wrong way. Their likely top choice at quarterback for 2023, Tom Brady, retired last week, and their likely second choice, Aaron Rodgers, is going on this hippie-like darkness retreat for a few days.
Not only that, the Raiders need to add some talent at every level on their defense and at offensive line, while also trying to bring back Josh Jacobs.
Offseason mistakes the Raiders must avoid in 2023
Replacing Derek Carr with a lesser quarterback
The biggest mistake the team could easily make is replacing Derek Carr with a lesser quarterback. What happens if Aaron Rodgers retires? What does the team do from there?
Do they pivot to Jimmy Garoppolo? He obviously has ties to Josh McDaniels and some people in the Raiders’ from office, but could Las Vegas sell themselves on Garoppolo being an upgrade over Carr?
Well, he isn’t, so that would be an interesting route to take.
Failing to be aggressive
Well, just by the nature of the division they are in, Vegas is going to have to be aggressive this offseason like they were in the last.
Adding Chandler Jones and Davante Adams seemed like great moves at the time. Jones was hardly noticeable in 2022, but Adams had another nice season. Seeing as the Denver Broncos added Sean Payton and will likely add more in free agency, and seeing as how the Chiefs could win their second Super Bowl in four seasons, it’d be smart for Las Vegas to not sit in their hands and take some big swings again.
Not drafting a quarterback with their top pick*
I added an asterisk to this because if the team does land someone who could at least be a short-term answer, then it might make sense to use the seventh overall pick on a different position. However, if the Raiders were to miss out on most of their choices, which I think is possible, then the next logical step is using that top pick to try and land a rookie quarterback.
Josh McDaniels showed that he does have some QB development under his belt with the work he did with Mac Jones in 2021, so perhaps he could have a similar impact on a prospect in 2023.
While Derek Carr was never an elite QB, it’s not like franchise signal callers like him grow on trees, so the team will need to add to the QB room in a big way if their veteran options are no longer possible.