Raiders 'Want Familiarity, But They Have Downgraded in Every Way,' Says NFL Exec

The Las Vegas Raiders are in a fascinating spot heading into the 2023 NFL draft. During free agency, they signed several former New England Patriots players, including quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, to reunite with head coach Josh McDaniels.

In the eyes of one executive from another team, those free-agent moves won't move the needle for the Raiders in 2023.

"They want familiarity, but they have downgraded in every way," the exec told The Athletic's Mike Sando.

Since the Raiders hired McDaniels in January 2022, they have been one of the NFL's most active teams in free agency and on the trade market.

A number of those acquisitions have involved players who were on the Patriots when McDaniels was on Bill Belichick's staff. Defensive end Chandler Jones, who played in New England from 2012 through 2015, signed a three-year, $51 million deal with the Raiders in March 2022.

McDaniels was Garoppolo's first offensive coordinator in the NFL from 2014 to '17 before the Patriots traded the quarterback to the San Francisco 49ers in October 2017. The 31-year-old is set to replace Derek Carr as Las Vegas' starting quarterback next season.

Meyers and McDaniels worked together in New England from 2019 through 2021. Wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, who also signed with the Raiders this offseason, was with McDaniels on the Patriots from 2017 to '19.

That familiarity should help Garoppolo, Meyers and Dorsett know right away what to expect in McDaniels' offensive system, but there's no guarantee that any of those players will change the Raiders' fortunes.

Garoppolo made only two starts during his Patriots tenure. He did have a successful stint with the 49ers, including a trip to Super Bowl 54, but the Raiders don't have the same offensive infrastructure that Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan provided.

It doesn't help that the Raiders are making these moves and spending this money to potentially finish third or fourth in the loaded AFC West. The Kansas City Chiefs are the reigning Super Bowl champions, while the Los Angeles Chargers made the playoffs last season.

This offseason, the Denver Broncos traded for former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton to help resurrect quarterback Russell Wilson's career.