How long has it been since this franchise has hoisted a Lombardi Trophy? It was more than four decades ago that the then-Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII in Tampa, 38-9. Hence, Al Davis’s team was crowned the 1983 NFL champions.
Since then, the Raiders returned to Oakland in 1995, and made Las Vegas their new home in 2020. There was a Super Bowl appearance in 2002, but team was no match for their former head coach Jon Gruden and a Buccaneers’ defense in a 48-21.
That year was also the last time the Silver and Black won a postseason contest, defeating the Tennessee Titans in the AFC title game. There has also been no division title since ’02. There were playoff appearances in 2016 and 2021, both ending in failure.
This offseason, the much-maligned franchise made another change at the top in Pete Carroll. It’s the Super Bowl champion’s fourth NFL head-coaching stop, and it may be his most challenging. The Raiders are coming off a 4-13 finish, but the good news is that the team has plenty of salary-cap room (via Spotrac) at its disposal.
3 players that could help the Raiders escape the AFC West basement
3. WR Tyler Lockett
Of course, Carroll spent 14 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks from 2010-23, and is the franchise’s all-time leader in total coaching victories (147). He guided the franchise to the playoffs 10 times, including five NFC West titles. The team made back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in 2013 and ’14, defeating the Denver Broncos (XLVIII) and losing to the New England Patriots (XLIX).
For nine of those seasons (2015-23), he had speedy wide receiver Tyler Lockett at his disposal. The former third-round pick from Kansas State was recently released by the Seahawks in a move that saved the club $17.0 million in cap space. The 10-year pro is coming off a year in which he totaled 49 catches for 600 yards and two touchdowns. Because he had his contract terminated by the ‘Hawks, Lockett can sign with any team immediately.
While there’s certainly a question mark who the Raiders’ starting quarterback will be in 2025, adding the second-most productive pass-catcher in Seahawks’ history can only help the league’s 27th-ranked offense in 2024.
2. RB Najee Harris
No team in the league gained fewer yards on the ground this past season than the Las Vegas Raiders. While only the New York Jets (363) totaled fewer running plays, the Silver and Black finished with 380 attempts for an NFL-low 1,357 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. For the record, that’s a ridiculously-bad 79.8 yards per game average.
Meanwhile in Green Bay, former Raiders’ running back Josh Jacobs ran 301 times for 1,329 yards and 15 scores. He also caught his first touchdown pass and finished the year with 36 catches for 342 yards. Of course, Jacobs was a first-round pick by the Raiders in 2019 and the team refused to pick up his fifth-year option. He wound leading the league in rushing in 2022, and signed a one-year restructured contact extension in 2023 before hitting free agency and inking a four-year, $48 million deal with the Packers in ’24.
There’s no doubt that Carroll will be looking for a more productive ground attack this upcoming season. In 2021, the Pittsburgh Steelers used the 24th overall pick on University of Alabama running back Najee Harris. He’s not missed a game in four seasons, has run for 1,000-plus yards each year, and has amassed 5,461 yards from scrimmage and 34 TDs in four years. Harris may not be a long term answer (the Steelers did not pick up his fifth-year option), but it could be a start in terms of reliability.
1. DE Joey Bosa
There was big news when it came to the Raiders’ franchise in regards to one of the best defensive players in the league. Maxx Crosby inked a three-year, $106.5 million contract extension that adds up to the six-year defender being the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.
He comes off a season in which he played in a career-low 12 games, but still led the team with 7.5 sacks. Crosby has led the club in QB traps in five of his six seasons, been named to the last four Pro Bowls, and has racked up 59.5 sacks in 95 regular-season contests.
Now that bad news. Despite Crosby’s presence, the Raiders’ defense has been subpar for far too long. The lack of big plays has been evident. In 2024, Las Vegas managed only 38 sacks as a team, allowed 43 offensive touchdowns, and came up with the fourth-fewest takeaways (13) in the league.
Nine-year veteran Joey Bosa was just cut loose by the division-rival Chargers. The five-time Pro Bowler hasn’t played a full season since 2019, but his presence (when available) could make things even easier for Crosby.
What’s really interesting is that Bosa has faced the Raiders a dozen times, and has more sacks (10.5) and forced fumbles (5) vs. the Silver and Black than any other NFL team. The veteran defender could also come at the right price.