Any chance the Las Vegas Raiders had of competing this season went out the door when they traded star wideout Davante Adams to the New York Jets. With a 2-4 record and the league's 27th-ranked offense, the Raiders will likely be watching from the couch come playoff time. Despite this, owner Mark Davis said moving on from his team's marquee player didn't make for a difficult week.
“I'm used to it,” Davis told NFL.com's Ian Rapoport. “I've grown up in this sport. There is the business side of the building and the football side of the building. The football side is tough love, man. I've seen my best friend … Cliff Branch, he had to retire. I've seen all of these guys, at some point in time they said I've got to hang it up or this or that. You get really tough, thick skin.”
Las Vegas has struggled to build any momentum amid franchise-altering changes over the last three seasons.
Can Mark Davis get the Raiders back on track?
Following a 10-7 campaign during the 2021 season that ended with a Wild Card loss, the Raiders have been an afterthought. The team made an aggressive move in 2022, trading a first and second-round pick for Adams to pair him with his college quarterback, Derek Carr. However, the move resulted in little immediate success, as Las Vegas posted a 6-11 record that season.
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The Raiders released Carr the following offseason after he declined to waive a no-trade clause in his contract. Las Vegas' 2023 campaign could be characterized as dysfunctional, as Davis fired head coach Josh McDaniels midway through the season. Adams' displeasures with the lack of team and personal success were well-documented as the team shuffled through Jimmy Garoppolo, Aidan O'Connell and Brian Hoyer at quarterback.
While the Raiders saw a brief jolt following Antonio Pierce's promotion to head coach late in 2023, they have continued to look like one of the league's worst teams this season. Pierce called out his players' effort following a Week 3 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Adams requested a trade in the following weeks, and the team settled for a conditional third-round pick that could become a second-round pick from New York.
With Adams and Carr out the door and a first-time head coach at the helm, the Raiders will continue searching for an identity this season. They'll line up for their first game since the blockbuster trade during a Week 7 road matchup with the Los Angeles Rams.
