The Las Vegas Raiders’ 2021 season was tumultuous at best. After getting off to a hot 3-0 start over the first three weeks, Las Vegas looked poised to compete in a loaded AFC West. But in October, head coach Jon Gruden resigned after emails surfaced in which he used racist, homophobic, transphobic, sexist and generally offensive language in communicating with then-Washington Football Team president Bruce Allen between 2010-2018. Assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia took over as interim head coach.
In the midst of off-field controversy, Las Vegas remained competitive on the field, and their season came down to a Week 18 contest against Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers. The Raiders managed to defeat the Chargers in a wild game and advance to Super Wild Card Weekend where they would fall short to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Though Bisaccia led the Raiders to a playoff berth via a 10-7 overall record, the Raiders were on the hunt for a permanent fixture at head coach once the offseason began. In January, Las Vegas hired New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
After spending 13 seasons in New England, McDaniels has wasted no time in making his mark in Las Vegas as the Raiders have been very active in free agency. Days after Aaron Rodgers signed his blockbuster contract extension with Green Bay, the Raiders sent the Packers their first-round pick (No. 22) and second-rounder (No. 53) in this year’s draft in exchange for Pro Bowl WR Davante Adams. The Raiders signed Adams to a five-year contract with $6.7 million fully guaranteed. Adams reunites with QB Derek Carr in Las Vegas as the two played college football together at Fresno State.
The Raiders’ roster changes were not limited to the offensive side of the ball as they also agreed to terms with defensive end Chander Jones and traded veteran Yannick Ngakoue. Jones, 32, is a four-time Pro Bowler and he recorded 10.5 sacks last season.
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Due to their…