The Las Vegas Raiders are no strangers to changing coaching and front office regimes. The team can’t seem to find long-term solutions at head coach or general manager.
Since owner Mark Davis took over the team in 2011, he has hired five different general managers and six different head coaches. That’s not even mentioning interim head coaches and general managers.
With the hiring of Pete Carroll as head coach and John Spytek as general manager this offseason, the Raiders are set to have their third different general manager and head coach pairing in three years.
Davis has started to get a reputation for being impatient and he’s consistently made the wrong hires. That said, he’s taking accountability for his mistakes.
“I just didn’t get it right,” Davis admitted, via The Athletic. “That’s all there is to it.”
Davis’ father Al Davis had a background as a coach before becoming an owner. Mark Davis never learned football at that level. This is why he’s enlisted former superstar quarterback Tom Brady for help.
He’s relying heavily on the new Raiders minority owner to get the train back on the tracks. If Carroll and Spytek finally turn Las Vegas into a playoff team, Brady is going to get a lot of credit for that.
Davis is certainly high on what the team is building this time around.
“You always want to compete, but you have to be honest,” Davis said. “Are we going to win the Super Bowl this year? I don’t know … it’s possible.”
Carroll Talks Quiet Free Agency
The Raiders started the offseason with a bang. They hired Carroll and Spytek after a widely reported Ben Johnson pursuit. They also tried to trade for Matthew Stafford before landing Geno Smith.
But once free agent started, the team got quiet. Though the Raiders didn’t add any big-name free agents, Carroll is happy with the players they signed.
“We’ve got guys that have the mentality coming in here that they have something to prove,” Carroll said in his recent media availability. “I’m always looking for guys who have got a chip on their shoulder, and (safety) Jeremy Chinn is excited about coming to the program. … El-Rob (linebacker Elandon Roberts) is going to be a fantastic addition calling the defenses, and we just locked in (linebacker) Devin White — what a story he’s going to be.
“(Cornerback) Eric Stokes, holy shoot, that guy is exactly the kind of guy I’m looking for in that spot. Signing Isaiah (Pola-Mao) was a really big deal, too. Our safeties are long and fast, our corners are faster. It’s going to be a competitive group. … Can’t wait.”
Spytek Addresses Losing Key Players
The Raiders did lose a number of starters from last season. They had wanted to retain most of them but many proved to be too expensive.
Spytek discussed what went into not bringing back many of their top free agents.
“We just try to be intelligently aggressive, and I know we’re not gonna make everybody happy with that approach,” Spytek said. “We lost some good players — when you get to free agency, you’re always gonna lose good players.”
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