The Las Vegas Raiders find themselves at a strange junction right now. Trading away Jakobi Meyers was a way to unofficially wave the white flag. So, what happens now?
An NFL team will never admit to “punting” on a season. Head coach Pete Carroll will continue to go up to the podium every week and talk about competition and whatnot as he’s been doing since Day 1. Unfortunately, nothing has gone right for this regime. They will not admit it publicly but moving forward, 2026 has to be the focus.
The people at the top will need to evaluate this roster and determine which pieces fit into the long-term vision. Of course, we’re assuming that there won’t be any major changes with relation to Carroll or general manager John Spytek. For argument’s sake, let’s say that the entire crew returns for Year 2. That doesn’t negate one major roadblock in trying to see how this team can be fixed.
We’re talking about the horrendous offensive line.
How do the Raiders evaluate things moving forward?
The quarterback situation is a dire one for the Silver and Black. None of the signal-callers currently on the roster is a long-term answer. We’ve seen what Geno Smith, Aidan O’Connell, and Kenny Pickett are, and that’s not going to change. Still, it’s plausible that at least two of these quarterbacks will be back next year, especially Smith, due to the contractual obligation. The issue right now is that, with such a poor O-line, how can you tell if any of these guys are the answer? Smith might not even make it to the finish line with how many hits he takes.
Losing Jackson Powers-Johnson and before that, Kolton Miller, were far from optimal scenarios. Even so, the unit didn’t fare much better even while they were playing. There’s plenty of blame to go around, namely a certain coach’s son, but more importantly, this leaves offensive coordinator Chip Kelly with quite a conundrum. If he’s indeed coaching for his job, how is he supposed to do it with such a depleted offensive line?
Once it’s all said and done, Kelly might end up being the scapegoat if the current regime remains intact.
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*Top Photo: Official Raiders Website