The Las Vegas Raiders once again find themselves floundering as they sit 1-3 through the first four weeks of the 2023 NFL season.
After a Week 1 win over the Denver Broncos, the Raiders have dropped three straight, with their most recent loss against the Los Angeles Chargers. Head coach Josh McDaniels has to be feeling the pressure despite being in just his second year in Las Vegas because the team was expected to be more competitive.
McDaniels’ first year was a mess as the team dealt with several off-the-field distractions though none bigger than the flare-up with Derek Carr. Carr was benched toward the end of last season and was subsequently waived in the offseason.
McDaniels never seemed so torn up about losing Carr, and on The Rich Eisen Show, Rich Eisen revealed that the Raiders head coach was not a fan of Josh Jacobs or Carr, as transcribed by Jason Burgos of sportsnaut.com:
“All I heard from the chatterbox that is known as the National Football League when nobodies got a microphone on is that McDaniels was not a Carr fan, and also not a Josh Jacobs fan,” Eisen said. “You heard those rumors, whether they’re true or not.”
This seems a little confusing on its face considering McDaniels took the job knowing that Carr and Jacobs were the backbone of Las Vegas’ offense the year prior. Perhaps the signs were there, though, as McDaniels made the questionable decision to let Jacobs handle snaps in preseason which led some to believe that he wasn’t going to have a large role.
However, the running back had the best year of his career as he led the NFL in rushing yards and made First-Team All-Pro. McDaniels had no choice but to have the offense go through Jacobs, but so far, he has yet to recapture that magic this season.
With the Silver and Black struggling, the team might have some tough decisions to make at the trade deadline. Jacobs is a name to watch out for, as there are several teams that could use a running back right now.
Caleb Williams would consider playing for Raiders
There is plenty of incentive for teams to tank this year, as Caleb Williams is a generational quarterback prospect who can change a franchise. However, Williams has toyed around with the idea of returning to USC next year depending on who has the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Williams reportedly listed the five teams he would consider playing for, though, and the Raiders made the cut.
