Raiders should make immediate impact in Las Vegas
By Brad Weiss
The Oakland Raiders have not had many winning seasons since the turn of the century, but they should get off to a fast start in their move to Las Vegas.
The Raiders franchise will be on the move once again, as they travel from their long-time home in the Bay Area to Sin City for the 2020 season. Coming off a seven-win season in 2019, the Raiders made big strides in a lot of areas of weakness from the year before, and had a legitimate shot to be a playoff team in the middle of the season.
As they move to Las Vegas, the Raiders still have a lot of work to do in terms of their organization, and they will get to improve the roster in a big way this offseason. Not only do they hold five of the first 90 selections in the 2020 NFL Draft, including two first rounders, but they also have solid salary cap space.
Back in 2017, the NHL launched a franchise in Sin City, and the return on the investment was felt immediately. Not only did the Vegas Golden Knights prove their could hold their own as an expansion team, but they nearly made history, as they won the Western Conference, and made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.
For Raiders fans, who have not seen their team make it to the Super Bowl since 2002, that would be a dream come true, and would help soften the blow of the move from Oakland. With how good the team looked at times during the 2019 season, pieces are in place for this team to finally turn the corner, as they have had only one playoff game since that Super Bowl appearance.