Let’s get you caught up on all of the recent Las Vegas Raiders musings, including a closer look at Jon Gruden’s second stint, an Odell Beckham Jr. flyer, and more NFL draft talk.
Diego Pavia isn’t exactly generating buzz in the Raiders’ pre-draft war room. Yet here we are, advocating for a fourth-string quarterback because, after all, why not dream big in the desert?
The Raiders will almost certainly take Indiana’s Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall. Kirk Cousins arrives as the bridge quarterback, Aidan O’Connell slides dutifully to QB3, and Pavia, bless his heart, is auditioning for the role of quarterback we forget exists until November.
But dismiss him at your peril. Pavia threw for 3,539 yards and 29 touchdowns at Vanderbilt in 2025, leading the SEC with a 70.6% completion rate. The New Mexico native brings legitimate competition and sideline electricity, qualities the Raiders desperately need.
As a potential undrafted free agent or late-round flier, Pavia is worth the gamble. Vegas loves long shots. Also, with Klint Kubiak as head coach, who better to tap into Pavia’s potential, right?
Speaking of head coaches, remember Jon Gruden? Whatever happened there? Well, The Athletic recently took a more scandalous look at Gruden’s second, disastrous tenure with the Silver and Black.
Revisiting a “disaster” for the Raiders…
Jon Gruden’s reputation in NFL circles remains bafflingly intact, which says more about the NFL than it does about Gruden.
A well-sourced Athletic report recently confirmed what Raiders fans lived through in real time: Gruden’s second tenure in Las Vegas was a masterclass in self-sabotage. He traded Khalil Mack after letting five defensive starters walk. Then, he drafted Clelin Ferrell in a panic. Gruden also signed veterans who had been relevant approximately never. He imported Antonio Brown via helicopter, frostbitten feet and all, and never got a single snap out of him. He ignored his scouts on Days 1 and 2 of every draft, then wandered off entirely by Day 3, leaving Mike Mayock to find Maxx Crosby in the fourth round essentially unsupervised.
The damage Gruden inflicted is only now being undone. John Spytek runs the front office. Klint Kubiak coaches the team. Tom Brady lurks helpfully as a minority owner. The Raiders hold the No. 1 overall pick and 10 draft selections total.
Mark Davis appears to have finally learned his lesson, which required hiring Gruden, Josh McDaniels, Antonio Pierce and Pete Carroll to figure out. Progress, at whatever pace, is still progress.
Speaking of “pace,” would bringing in Odell Beckham Jr. help accelerate the current rebuild?
Bringing a multi-time Pro Bowl wideout…
Odell Beckham Jr. wants back in the NFL, and frankly, the Las Vegas Raiders could use the help.
Their receiving corps last season was generously described as thin. Tre Tucker led the team with 696 yards. Brock Bowers, a tight end, finished second. Nobody else cracked 352 yards. That is not a receiving corps. That is a suggestion.
Beckham, 33, made one spectacular one-handed catch at the Fanatics Flag Football Classic and the football world collectively lost its mind. Nine catches and 55 yards in Miami during 2024 tell a more measured story.
Still, for a team this desperate at receiver, Beckham is absolutely worth the conversation.
*Top Photo: Mark Brown/Getty Images