Las Vegas Raiders 2024 NFL offseason primer: Antonio Pierce got the job, now he needs to find his QB

Las Vegas Raiders’ 2023 season: 8-9, missed playoffs

Overview: A tough start to the season ended in a new wave of hope and swagger for the Raiders. Josh McDaniels was fired as head coach after a 3-5 start, but the vibes quickly turned around when Antonio Pierce took over in an interim basis.

After coaching the team to a 5-4 finish and earning the respect of key players in the locker room, Pierce was promoted from interim to full-time head coach and the team hired Tom Telesco to help oversee the construction of the roster. Time will tell if this plan works and makes sense for the team, but a new quarterback to go with the new regime is high on the list of priorities for the Raiders.

(Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports)

Key free agents

RB Josh Jacobs
DL Bilal Nichols
C Andre James
OT Jermaine Eluemunor

Who’s in/out? This one is tough to figure out with a new front office taking over, but Josh Jacobs is probably someone they should figure out how to keep for another year just to give their offense some credibility in 2024. Keeping one or both of their offensive linemen hitting free agency would also help their offensive transition next season.

One of the first big decisions for the new Raiders regime will involve running back Josh Jacobs and whether or not to re-sign him. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Getty Images)

Key free agent needs

Quarterback
Cornerback
Defensive line

Why the holes? Jimmy Garoppolo is on his way out of town, opening up a potential quarterback competition with Aidan O’Connell for whoever the Raiders add at the position. They also need more juice at defensive line and cornerback to make life easier for defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who led a fantastic defense in the back half of the season.

Do they have the money?: Yes. The Raiders are projected to kick off the new league year with $42.6 million in cap space, according to Spotrac.

Potential notable cuts

QB Jimmy Garoppolo
WR Hunter Renfrow
S Marcus Epps

Why they might be gone: Garoppolo is essentially already gone…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/las-vegas-raiders-2024-nfl-offseason-primer-antonio-pierce-got-the-job-now-he-needs-to-find-his-qb-013600917.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-02-23 01:36:00

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