Anonymous Raiders source pins franchise’s failures on Mark Davis

The last few years for the Las Vegas Raiders have been like playing slot machines, pulling the lever each season and hoping that everything would line up and give them a jackpot.

Instead, the Raiders have been buried in disappointment, with just enough flashes of luck to keep them going, cycling through coaches, quarterbacks, and the annual optimism at training camp.

Through it all, the constant thing for the Raiders is owner Mark Davis. But perhaps that is exactly the problem.

Davis inherited the Raiders in 2011 after his father, the legendary Al Davis, passed away. But their approach has been starkly different, with the younger Davis focusing more on business-making than team-building.

In a report from The Athletic’s Zak Keefer, a team insider blamed the 70-year-old Davis for the franchise’s yearly woes.

“Antonio (Pierce) was given a s*** roster. Pete (Carroll) was given a s*** roster. The underlying issue is that Mark has never really respected the GM (general manager) position. He let (Jon) Gruden pick (Mike) Mayock. Then he let Josh McDaniels pick his best friend as GM, Dave Ziegler. Now, he lets Tom Brady do the same thing with John Spytek,” said the source.

The Raiders have only had two winning seasons since Davis took the helm. The team has missed the playoffs for four straight years. In fact, the Silver and Black have only been to the playoffs twice in the last 23 years.

The Raiders will gamble with a lot of chips—yet again—in the upcoming season. They have a new coach in Klint Kubiak and likely a new quarterback when they select Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in the draft.

There will be plenty of uncertainties, but fans can bet that Davis will continue to try his luck.