In a recent article by ESPN, they ranked all 32 teams after Super Bowl 57 as we are set to head into the offseason. Not surprisingly, the Raiders didn’t finish all that high, coming in at No. 21.
The biggest reason for their spot in the second half of the league is due to the uncertainty at quarterback. Here is what senior writer Paul Gutierrez had to say about the Raiders entering the offseason:
“Paraphrasing Bob Dylan seems appropriate in Las Vegas, especially with Derek Carr on his way out after nine seasons as the Raiders quarterback. Carr, who was benched with two games to go, holds nearly every passing record in franchise history but also a career record of just 63-79.
So whoever the next Las Vegas QB is — Jimmy Garoppolo? Jarrett Stidham? Draft pick TBD? — will usher in a change in a way not seen in the streets of Silver and Blackdom since perhaps when Carson Palmer landed there in 2011.”
It’s tough to rank the Raiders any higher than this with no franchise quarterback in place. While the expectation is that the Raiders will grab some high-profile name over the next month, we have no idea who that may be or if it will happen.
As of now, the Raiders are near the bottom of the AFC. But with a strong offseason and a new franchise quarterback, they could quickly jump up this list in no time.
