Th eLas Vegas Raiders have managed just one winning season in the five since they moved from Oakland. For that matter, the three-time Super Bowl-winning franchise has not won a playoff game since defeating the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship game on January 19, 2003 — more than 22 years ago.
The Raiders, in fact, have made only two playoff appearances since losing the Super Bowl to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that year. They lost in the Wild Card round both times. The once-feared franchise, whose longest-tenured coach, at 10 years, was John Madden — a man whose name has become nearly synonymous with the NFL — has been badly in need of something to turn its fortunes around for some time now.
In 2022, owner Mark Davis hired Josh McDaniels as the team’s new head coach. As the New England Patriots offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, McDaniels guided future Hall of Famer Tom Brady to five Super Bowls and three Super Bowl victories. McDaniels also mentored then-rookie quarterback Mac Jones to the Patriots’ only playoff appearance since Brady departed after the 2019 season.
McDaniels Blows it With Game-Changing Draft Pick
He earned his way to his second head coaching job with the Raiders, and after the success he’d earned with the Patriots, what could possibly go wrong?
As it turned out, a lot. In McDaniels’ first season, 2022, Las Vegas won only six games and missed the playoffs after a 10-7 record and playoff qualification in the previous season.
But there was a silver lining. With their subpar showing, the Raiders obtained the seventh overall draft pick in 2023. They hoped that the high draft pick would finally be the key to reversing their flagging fortunes. McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler picked Texas Tech edge rusher Tyree Wilson.
The pick was intended to overhaul the team’s pass defense after a year when the Raiders managed to sack opposing quarterbacks a league-worst 27 times. Taking away the 12 1/2 sacks recorded by Pro Bowl pick Maxx Crosby, the Raiders pass rush was absolutely anemic.
Wilson, however, came into training camp in 2023 with a lingering foot injury he’d suffered in college, causing him to miss most of the team’s preseason. Signing a $25 million, four-year contract, Wilson proceeded to compile a mere 3 1/2 sacks in his rookie season.
His 4 1/2 in 2024 were only the slightest of improvements. Crosby was limited to just 12 games, with 7 1/2 sacks, before missing the rest of the season with arthroscopic surgery on an ankle that he injured in Week 2. But Wilson was unable to pick up the slack.
Former No. 7 Pick Has Plunged in Value
Now, with two years remaining on his rookie contract, the Raiders may be ready to move on from Wilson. On Monday, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter said that the Raiders would be willing to part with Wilson on draft day give the opportunity.
“This is not stunning news. Wilson has been slow to develop and he may never live up to his draft status,” elaborated SB Nation Raiders reporter Bill Williamson. “While he has flashed at times, Wilson has failed to show up in many games and has just eight career sacks. So, if the new regime isn’t big on him, they could look to cut bait now.”
What could they get for the former top-10 pick, who at this point can now be confirmed as a draft bust? According to Williamson, the Raiders will be fortunate to net a third round pick — a stunning drop in value for a No. 7 overall selection just two years ago.
At that price, even if the Raiders do not deal the 24-year-old away during the draft, it will be unsurprising if they cut him from the roster prior to the upcoming season — as new coach Pete Carroll, GM John Spytek and of course Brady who is now a minority owner of the team, attempt to sever their new regime from the team’s past failures.
