Predicting Raiders' Biggest Regrets from 2024 NFL Offseason
The Las Vegas Raiders are a team hoping to ride the momentum of a good finish into 2024. It's been well-documented that the Raiders were rejuvenated over the second half of the season under head coach Antonio Pierce.
It's why ownership was willing to remove the "interim" from Pierce's interim head coach title. It's why they went forward with him as the head coach and hired an experienced general manager in Tom Telesco to help him build a roster that he can win with.
There were some decisions that look really good on paper. Christian Wilkins is the perfect complementary piece to go with Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce on the defensive line. There are some draft picks that already look really good including Day 3 picks Decamerion Richardson and MJ Devonshire.
Not every move is going to age well, though. There are always decisions that a front office is going to wish they could have back. Let's look at three that could come back to haunt the Silver and Black.
Taking Brock Bowers over a Right Tackle in the Draft
1 of 3
Brock Bowers has the potential to be an elite tight end. He was the No. 2 player on the B/R big board for a reason. It's hard to completely fault a team for taking the No. 2 overall player with the 13th pick overall.
But there's an opportunity cost to consider here.
For one, the Raiders could have targeted a trade down. Once it became clear that the quarterbacks were going to be off the board, they could have worked to trade down the board with another team that was interested in Bowers.
The other option would have been to address a more pressing need at tackle. This year's class was stacked with good tackle options and the Raiders had Taliese Fuaga, Amarius Mims and Troy Fautanu still on the board.
The Raiders are relying on Thayer Munford to take the next step and become the team's starting right tackle. They already had a promising tight end on the roster in Michael Mayer.
If Munford struggles to protect the quarterback the Raiders are going to wish they would have re-allocated their first-round pick.
Not Trading Davante Adams
2 of 3
It's hard to come in as a new general manager and trade away one of the best players on the roster. Let's get that out of the way.
But the general manager's job is to make the best decisions for a franchise's future. The decision to keep Davante Adams might help the team win a few more games in 2024, but it isn't going to help them in the long run.
Adams is set to cost the Raiders $23.4 million this season. Given his production last season and the fact that he won't turn 32 until December, it's a reasonable cap hit for a guy who would still be the No. 1 option for most teams in the league.
That just means his trade value might never be higher than it is right now, though. His cap numbers spikes to $44.1 million in the last two years of the contract.
Looking back on some of the frustrations that Adams expressed with the Raiders last season on Netflix's Receiver documentary, it's not hard to see more frustrations bubbling up in 2024.
In the series Adams was frustrated with the offense. With Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew battling for the starting job, there's a good chance there's still going to be some frustration.
A 32-year-old Adams is a great player to have if you're aiming for the Super Bowl. That's just not where the Raiders are at and trading him for draft capital would have potentially helped with a rebuild.
Not Doing Enough to Build Receiver Depth
3 of 3
Trading away Davante Adams before the draft would have either helped bring a quarterback into Vegas or inject the receiver room with more youth.
Again, Adams is getting into his 30's. If injuries start to become a factor, the Raiders just don't have a lot of depth behind him. Jakobi Meyers is a capable No. 2 receiver and Tre Tucker has shown some big-play potential. After that, there are a lot of questions.
This was a very deep class of wide receivers. Taking one on Day 2 or 3 would have improved their depth situation. Jermaine Burton, Roman Wilson and Jalen McMillan were all available when the Raiders went with offensive lineman DJ Glaze in the third round.
As previously noted, the Raiders should potentially prepare for life beyond Davante Adams. Any one of those receivers could be on the inside track to take over an early role in the Raiders offense.
Even a free agent signing along the lines of Marquise Brown or Josh Reynolds would make a difference.
Instead, there are limited options with upside behind the top three receivers on the depth chart.
One of which is a 31-year-old whose career timeline probably doesn't match up with this team's competitive window.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
