LAS VEGAS — Another week, another loss for the Raiders. Another healthy dose of disillusionment for their frustrated and angry fan base.
The playoffs stopped being a realistic goal weeks ago. Now, with seven straight losses and a 2-9 record following Sunday’s 29-19 defeat at the hands of the Denver Broncos, and the rumor mill churning on Antonio Pierce’s future as head coach, ask yourself this question: “Where is this going?”
It’s a question owner Mark Davis should be asking if he hasn’t already. He has had six, count ‘em six general managers since his father Al Davis died in 2011. There have been six different head coaches in that game time period, seven if you include Rich Bisaccia, who took over for Jon Gruden in 2022 and probably deserved to be retained permanently.
But at what point do these revolving doors stop operating? When does stability make an appearance? Unlike his father, Mark Davis does not meddle in the football side of things. But his hires have not delivered. The Raiders have had just two playoff appearances in the Mark Davis Era — a wild card loss to Cincinnati in 2021 and a wild card loss to Houston in 2016.
Sorry, that simply doesn’t constitute success.
Perhaps the solution to the problem lies from within.
Last month, the NFL owners approved Davis selling a five percent share of the Raiders to Tom Brady. Yes, that Tom Brady. He of the seven Super Bowl championship rings and 10 title game appearances. The GOAT, as many like to refer to him as. Maybe Davis needs to give Brady a say in the football decision-making process, tap into his extensive knowledge and on-the-field success and listen to what he has to say.
The problem is, he might not be able to do so. Not as long as he’s employed by FOX as an analyst on its NFL telecasts. He’s being paid a reported $375 million over 10 years to give his insights and it could be construed as a conflict of interest. Then again, the other owners signed off on Brady owning a piece of the Raiders so Davis should be able to utilize his partner in any capacity he sees fit.
Assuming he’s in the clear to talk and make decisions regarding the Raiders, Davis should be getting Brady’s thoughts on current GM Tom Telesco. Does Brady think Telesco is the right person to make the critical personnel decisions, run the draft and get free agents to come play for the Raiders while keeping a top player like Maxx Crosby happy in Las Vegas?
Telesco had some success while with the Chargers, which had a lot to do with Davis hiring him in Las Vegas. Maybe it’s too early to judge Telesco on his Raiders tenure. But so far, it’s hard to feel encouraged if you’re a Raiders fan.
The Raiders are going to need a quarterback. We saw evidence of that again Sunday when Gardner Minshew was intercepted by Brandon Jones in the third quarter and the Broncos scored two plays later as Bo Nix found Courtland Sutton for a TD. It was Minshew’s 14th turnover of the year, which tied Minnesota’s Sam Darnold for the most TOs in the NFL. It also changed the entire complexion of the game as the Raiders went from up 13-9 to down 16-13. They never recovered.
Minshew injured his shoulder in the fourth quarter and Desmond Ridder finished the game. Aidan O’Connell is eligible to come off injured reserve this week and we could very well see him this Friday in Kansas City against the Chiefs. But he has shown that he is not the long-term answer either.
Ridder said afterward he’s comfortable with the system and ready to play if Pierce calls on him Friday. So we’ll see what happens.
But if anyone can assess the attributes of an NFL quarterback, it’s Tom Brady. He would be the right person to sit in with Telesco and the Raiders’ scouts to see if Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders is indeed worth the risk of taking should the Raiders be in position to draft him. Brady has gotten to know Deion Sanders’ kid, having worked out with him in the past. He could tell the Raiders about the kind of player and person Shedeur is.
Conversely, by being on television, he’s up to speed on the current NFL QB crop. He would be the right person to ask if the Raiders should think about signing Daniel Jones. who crapped out in New York with the Giants. Or perhaps looking at some other options at the end of the season.
Now maybe these conversations have taken place. Maybe they’ve been casual spitball sessions. Maybe there have been extensive sit-downs with Davis and/or Telesco. But it would be foolhardy to not pick Brady’s brain.
As for Pierce, the Raiders’ current coach, he knows he’s probably hanging by a thread. But the truth is if you don’t have the right people above him making the right decisions on personnel, does it really matter who is in charge on the sidelines?
Here’s what we do know: the Raiders are still playing hard for Pierce. Despite their 2-9 record, they haven’t quit. Sure, the execution has been spotty on both sides of the ball and some of the play calls from the father-son combo of Norv and Scott Turner might leave you scratching your head. But with all the injuries and the chaos that has ensued over this long losing streak, is the head coach really at the root of the Raiders’ problems? Or is Pierce simply a systemic part of a bigger, more complex issue?
Ultimately, the buck stops at the owner ’s desk. It’s the case in Dallas. It’s the case with both the Giants and the Jets. It’s the case in Carolina and in Jacksonville. And it’s the case here in Vegas.
But unlike Jerry Jones with the Cowboys, John Mara with the Giants, Woody Johnson with the Jets, David Tepper with the Panthers and Shad Khan with the Jaguars, Mark Davis has Tom Brady at his disposal. It’s time to start using him now and get his knowledge working to help save the franchise.