In the last couple of years since the end of the 2022/2023 season, it feels like we have been privy to the same Raiders movie. Since underachieving Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Carr made his unceremonious exit, it seems like the Raiders are content with being the feel-good story of the NFL.

 

The signing of Jimmy Garoppolo was the headliner of the 2023 offseason. Raiders leadership hoped that they could turn around the injury-prone starter who had led the 49ers to a Super Bowl only four years prior. Despite loading up on offensive weapons like former Patriot Jakobi Meyers and Falcon Austin Hooper to pair with former Packer Davante Adams, Garoppolo was still subpar. After leading his team to a 3-5 start (and leading the league in INTs), he was benched, and his head coach (Josh McDaniels) was fired.

 

After turning to rookie QB Aidan O’Connell and slugging out the rest of the 8-9 campaign, the Raiders’ "feel-good" show was back for a second season in the 2024 offseason. Career journeyman (and fan favorite) Gardner Minshew II was signed to compete with O’Connell for the starting QB job. That same offseason, the Raiders hired interim HC Antonio Pierce (former Giants linebacker and fan favorite) as their full-time HC. This season was set to be a new chapter, led by a coach who had won the locker room and a gutsy QB who could make plays. The offseason good times were rolling, but they came to a complete halt once the season began. After a 2-9 start, Minshew suffered a broken collarbone and was ruled out for the season. This led the Raiders to turn to a carousel of O’Connell and former Atlanta Falcon Desmond Ridder. This led to Pierce being fired in the offseason, and as of January 25, Pete Carroll was hired as the newest Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

 

Pete Carroll did not inherit the most talented roster in the National Football League. Notable players include TE Brock Bowers, WR Jakobi Meyers, and EDGE Maxx Crosby, but the organization is bereft of talent at several key positions. Carroll does have the opportunity to heavily influence the course of the next year (and beyond) of Raiders football. He could choose to re-run the "feel-good" show for a third straight year by signing any of Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson, or Marcus Mariota. Alternatively, he could look ahead to the 2025 NFL Draft, where the Raiders have eight total selections (including the sixth overall pick in the first round).

 

While the consensus top two QBs (Colorado’s Shadeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward) are unlikely to be available by the time the Raiders are on the clock, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart, and Texas’s Quinn Ewers are all realistic possibilities.

 

At the end of the day, the Raiders’ offseason spin will be one of positivity and hopefulness. The question is, will the good vibes carry on into the regular season, or will they fizzle out?