Ready to usher in a new era, the Las Vegas Raiders head into the NFL offseason with plenty of optimism on their side. The team enjoyed a three-win improvement during their final season in Oakland and weren’t eliminated from playoff contention until Week 17 despite being decimated by injuries.
The Raiders additionally own a pair of first-round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, which is a surefire way to infuse immediate talent to the roster. It’s the second consecutive year they’ll make multiple selections on Day 1, having nabbed the likes of Clelin Ferrell, Josh Jacobs and Johnathan Abram in 2019.
The front office will also look to fill some holes in free agency when the new league year begins this March. The Raiders are flush with cap space, boasting over $62 million according to Spotrac, which is good for the 10th-most in all of football.
Raiders general manager Mike Mayock believes the team’s relocation to Las Vegas can pay dividends when it comes to recruiting free agents, citing the zero percent state tax in Nevada and their new stadium as main selling points, via Eddie Paskal of Raiders.com:
Yeah, I think first and foremost, we go from a 13% state tax in California to a zero percent state tax in Nevada. The players and their agents are very aware of that. I’ve heard more comments about what our new stadium looks like. You know, that black exterior, the sleekness of it. People are fired up about the Raiders in Vegas. We’ve got a brand new facility under construction that the players will be living in seven days a week, state of the art in every single facet. I think there’s a real excitement about Jon Gruden leading the Raiders into Las Vegas and it extends financially, extends to our facilities, we’re gonna be a first rate operation in every single facet and I think that energy will trickle through into free agency.
As Mayock points out, the Raiders can make multiple pitches to free agents this offseason. On top of the excitement that comes with moving to a different city and stadium, players will have an opportunity to maximize their payday due to the lack of a state tax in Nevada.
Nevada is one of just four states with an NFL team that doesn’t impose an income tax, joining Florida, Texas and Washington. It’s a significant difference from when the Raiders played in California, whose state tax increased to 13.3% last year.
