Comings and goings: New Raiders to watch and old Raiders to miss

The Raiders and Colts met in an elimination game in Week 17 of last season.

The winner of the showdown at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis would see their playoff aspirations extended; the loser would be out of the postseason picture altogether. A fast start from the Colts and their quarterback Gardner Minshew, who threw a 58-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, helped the home team withstand a late Raiders’ rally for a 23-20 victory.

Indianapolis ultimately fell short of the playoffs too, when it lost 23-19 to Houston the next week, but Minshew made a late pass that could have sealed victory before it was dropped by running back Tyler Goodson.

Instead of making his postseason starting debut after taking over for injured Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson last year, Minshew had to settle for a different prize after the season. The sixth-year quarterback signed with the Raiders in free agency and won the right to be a starter going into the season for the first time since 2020 with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Minshew beat out incumbent Aidan O’Connell, who started opposite him in last year’s Raiders at Colts game, to earn the job. The hope is that Minshew can far outplay Las Vegas’ starter going into last season, Jimmy Garoppolo, who played six games before getting benched for the then-rookie O’Connell.

The Raiders released Garoppolo this offseason, and he signed with the Los Angeles Rams to back up Matthew Stafford this year after serving a two-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance.

Any quarterback change will always be the most visible switch for an NFL team, but here are five of the other most notable incoming and outgoing veterans from last year.

IN:

Christian Wilkins, defensive tackle

The Raiders secured the crown jewel of this year’s defensive free-agency class by giving the former Miami Dolphin a four-year, $110 million contract with about $83 million in guaranteed money.

Alexander Mattison, running back

Mattison will technically be the backup of Zamir White, a 2022 NFL Draft fourth-round pick out of Georgia, but the former Minnesota Viking by way of Boise State University will rotate in frequently and play a lot on passing downs.

Cody Whitehair, guard

The 2018 Pro Bowler followed new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy from Chicago to Las Vegas after spending eight years with the Bears and won a starting job in training camp largely due to a prolonged injury absence of second-round pick Jackson Powers-Johnson.

Andrus Peat, tackle

The former first-round pick and three-time Pro Bowler arrives in Las Vegas as the ultimate offensive-line utility man playing primarily tackle but ready to fill in wherever needed, after spending nine seasons in New Orleans.

Harrison Bryant, tight end

First-round rookie Brock Bowers out of Georgia and emergent second-year player Michael Mayer will have bigger roles in the offense at tight end, but Bryant will also get snaps and stands out as the best blocker of the three.

OUT:

Josh Jacobs, running back

The Raiders’ third all-time leading rusher departed for the Green Bay Packers in free agency in an effort to score a bigger contract (a four-year, $48 million deal) and play for a Super Bowl contender.

Amik Robertson, cornerback

Losing the boisterous, undersized playmaker quietly affects the defense as much as Jacobs’ departure hurts the offense, as Robertson emerged as a fan and teammate favorite before going to the Detroit Lions in the offseason.

Bilal Nichols, defensive tackle

Nichols was reliable if nothing else for the Raiders, having started in every game the last two seasons before his contract expired and he signed with the Arizona Cardinals in free agency.

Jermaine Eluemunor, tackle

The veteran from London, England played three positions over the last three years in Las Vegas and was highly underrated before following former Raiders offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo to the New York Giants.

Greg Van Roten, guard

The 34-year-old revitalized his career by starting every game for the Raiders last season, and recently landed a contract with his eighth NFL franchise in the New York Giants.