Deciding Upon the Raiders' New Year's Resolution

The Las Vegas Raiders are headed toward a vital offseason in their storied history. As the Raiders flip the calendar to 2026, there are several things they must change to have a productive year and 2026-27 season.

Raiders' Future

Zach Tantillo of Pro Football Focus listed what he believes the Raiders' resolution should be for the new year. Along with addressing their offensive line, Tantillo listed upgrading the Raiders' quarterback position as the primary focus moving forward.

"The Raiders' offensive line issues have made sustained quarterback success difficult, regardless of who is under center. Rolling with Geno Smith for another season does not present a viable long-term solution, as he currently ranks 34th among quarterbacks in PFF overall grade," Tantillo said.

"Las Vegas can address the position in the draft by targeting prospects such as Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore, or by exploring the trade market for a proven option. Arizona could emerge as a potential trade partner if the Cardinals decide to move Kyler Murray, giving the Raiders a chance to reset the position with a higher-upside answer under center."

Earlier this week, Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll gave insight to his approach to what could be his final game as the Raiders' head coach. It has been a forgettable season for one of the most well-respected head coaches in league history.

Even if Sunday is Carroll's final run with the team, he would have left them in a better position than when he arrived. He just happened to do so by not winning, which is what the league is all about. The Raiders are one loss away from securing the top pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

"Well, just going to keep going like we go in that we just try to make it as hard for everybody as possible to compete to be the player that they're capable of being. And there's going to be opportunities now, tremendous opportunities, for acquisitions to add to the team. We'll see how that goes, but we'll just try to continue to make it as competitive in all spots as we can possibly make it,” Carroll said.

“And our guys have taken to the mentality. They know when I say stuff like that, they know what I'm talking about, and they have to rise up every day and battle against each other and try to see who can win and who's going to get on the highlights the next day in the meetings and all that. 

Still, Carroll believes the foundation for the Raiders has been set. It is anyone's guess if he will be around to it that foundation built upon.

“That's the foundation of it. It's where you're coming from, and we're coming to compete to be as good as we can possibly be. And we know this team a lot better now. We know who we got, and we'll do everything we can to make it as good as possible," Carroll said.

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