Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Josh McDaniels Derek stands on the field prior to an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts at Allegiant Stadium Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022.
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None of the once-seemingly realistic dreams that Raiders fans carried into the first season under coach Josh McDaniels remain possible at the midway point of the year. Not after Las Vegas lost three straight games as a favorite to fall to 2-7, the second-worst record in the NFL.
The Raiders won’t win the AFC West for the first time since 2002 or make the playoffs for the second consecutive year. Quarterback Derek Carr, with his numbers down, won’t make a dark horse run at the Most Valuable Player award. And star edge rusher Maxx Crosby isn’t winning Defensive Player of the Year, not on a defense that might be the worst in the league.
It’s been another disappointing season for a franchise and fan base all too familiar with them. Only one team in the NFL—the Cleveland Browns—has fewer combined wins than the Raiders over the past 20 seasons.
But that doesn’t mean the second half of the year, starting with a Week 11 game November 20 at Denver, isn’t worth watching at all. There are still areas of intrigue and questions to be answered. Here are four things to follow as the Raiders wind down the season.
Who stays: McDaniels, Carr or neither?
“Both” returning appears to be the unlikeliest answer, by far. When a team falls this short of expectations, it usually moves on from the coach, the quarterback or both.
Financially, it would be easier for Raiders owner Mark Davis to cut ties with Carr. The ninth-year quarterback signed a three-year contract extension in the offseason, but it’s not guaranteed until three days after the Super Bowl—giving the Raiders a window to get rid of him with a relatively minimal penalty to the salary cap.
Davis recently finished paying off former coach Jack Del Rio, who was fired in 2017, but a settlement with Jon Gruden, who resigned in the middle of last season, is presumably still on the books. That means if he fires McDaniels, Davis will be paying three head coaches next year.
But there will be backlash if the Raiders keep McDaniels, especially among the fan base. And internally, there could be even louder dissent over letting go of Carr, especially from the team’s best player, wide receiver Davante Adams.
Adams requested a trade to Las Vegas this summer from Green Bay largely to reunite with Carr, his college teammate and best friend. With a five-year, $141 million contract, Adams wields far more power than any other player on the roster.
The second half of Josh Jacobs’ incredible season
The fourth-year running back, a former first-round pick out of Alabama, will almost surely be playing his final eight games in silver and black. So far, he has saved his best for last.
With 821 yards on the ground to this point, Jacobs is on pace to finish with the second-most single-season rushing yards in franchise history, behind only Marcus Allen’s MVP season in 1985 when he ran for 1,759. Jacobs could also move as high as fourth in the team’s record book among career rushing leaders.
He has arguably been the team’s most valuable player—though Adams and Crosby are also in the conversation—another knock on McDaniels and new general manager Dave Ziegler. The pair opted not to exercise Jacobs’ fifth-year rookie option for $8 million coming into the season, so he will be a free agent this offseason.
Jacobs has played his way into an even bigger payday, and with high-priced contracts already doled out to a trio of offensive weapons in Adams, injured tight end Darren Waller and injured slot receiver Hunter Renfrow, it’s unlikely the Raiders will sign him.
Amik the Freak
If there can be a feel-good story on a team this bad, it’s cornerback Amik Robertson, the only player still contributing from the Raiders’ disastrous 2020 draft class.
The undersized, 5-foot-8 Robertson looked like a long shot to make the roster going into training camp but impressed the new coaching staff with his intensity and playmaking ability. He has become Las Vegas’ third-most reliable cornerback, behind Rock Ya-Sin and the currently injured Nate Hobbs.
Robertson’s physical limitations remain a liability, but he has made up for it by rediscovering the knack for takeaways that made him an exciting prospect coming out of Louisiana Tech. He had a 68-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown in which he weaved in and out of traffic during a Week 4 win against the Broncos. He also punched the ball away from receiver Keke Coutee in the open field during a Week 10 loss to the Colts, leading to a Raiders fumble recovery.
The latter invigorated Las Vegas, which looked flat and was about to go down three scores before the turnover. Robertson will probably never be a great starting outside cornerback in the NFL, but he has found a role as an energizing fan-favorite rotational player.
Rookie Revelations
If there’s any reason for optimism long-term, it’s how well Ziegler appeared to handle his first draft with the Raiders despite not holding a first- or second-round pick because of the Adams trade.
Third-round choice Dylan Parham has been arguably the team’s best offensive lineman at right guard and could take over the more important center position long-term. Seventh-round pick Thayer Munford has made great progress at right tackle and looks like a potential longtime starter.
Fourth-round defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr. has also flashed ability as an interior defensive lineman. And Ziegler even found a handful of undrafted free agents who have contributed, including linebacker Luke Masterson, who made his first start against the Colts, and cornerback Sam Webb, who played 97% of defensive snaps against the Colts.
A lot has gone wrong for the Raiders, but they aren’t without young talent.
This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.
