Autumn Winds: 1/13/25

By Matt Khitikian

Rinse, Wash, Repeat – Las Vegas Raiders Stuck in (Seemingly) Never-Ending Cycle 

As the NFL season winds down, Raiders staff, players and fans alike are left to wonder – once again – what now?

In the 21 years since the (then Oakland) Raiders last reached the Super Bowl, the team’s averaged 1.75 head coaches per year, with Jack Del Rio lasting the longest (48 games) and interim coach Rich Bisaccia tied with interim coach Tony Sparano, both lasting 12 games.  

Al Davis served as the team’s owner and de facto GM (a la Jerry Jones) until his death in 2010.  An ill-fated dalliance with Hue Jackson ended after a year after which Reggie McKenzie took over until 2018, followed by Mike Mayock and Tom Telesco.

Twenty-one years.  A 124-216 record. And now, with Antonio Pierce and Tom Telseco ousted after a year, the search for head coach and GM begins anew.

Commitment to Excellence?  It’s become a meaningless slogan.  The Raiders first need a Commitment to Stability before much else can follow.  

So what will the next head coach and GM inherit?  The obvious answer is quarterback room in need of upgrade, but there are several roster holes that need attention.  

A new coach also means new staff for all 3 phases of the game, and that means the current roster may need yet another overhaul.  Mainstays like Maxx Crosby will hopefully remain motivated during the umpteenth rebuilding year and up-and-comers like Brock Bowers need the offensive scheme to exploit their talents. 

The Raiders will have over $92 million in cap space in 2025 (second only to the Patriots’ $120 million) but also $29.3 million in dead money (5th most in the NFL).  There’s a lot of dollars to spend and Mark Davis (perhaps Tom Brady?) have decisions to make.  

From a head coach candidate perspective, Mike Vrabel’s already been hired by New England.  Pete Carroll, Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson have already interviewed with Vegas, Robert Saleh should interview this week and other candidates have been contacted (Todd Monken and Steve Spagnuolo among them).    

Rumored/possible candidates for the GM position include John Spytek from Tampa Bay, Scott Pioli, Thomas Dimitroff, Dave Ziegler and Champ Kelley (formerly an interim GM for the Raiders, relieved of his duties when Tom Telesco was hired).

With 2+ decades of futility and counting, the question that‘s loomed over the Raiders like a silver and black cloud is more critical than ever.  

Indeed, what now?

1 Comment to "Autumn Winds: 1/13/25"

  1. Someone Who Knows's Gravatar Someone Who Knows
    January 14, 2025 - 11:01 am | Permalink

    More like Commitment to Excrement!

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