AFC West is loaded with talent
Finally, all of this stuff I talked about matters because of who the Raiders’ competition is in the AFC West, and it hasn’t gotten any easier for them the past year. We already know Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and the Chiefs are going to be around for a while, but what about Justin Herbert and the Chargers?
Herbert was rightly named Rookie of the Year, and could very well contend for MVP next year. The Chargers are also going to be a very interesting team in 2021 because they’ll have a new head coach in Brandon Staley to help solidify and bolster up the Charger defense, making that team one to not reckon with in theory.
Who knows, maybe the Broncos will miraculously figure it out soon, too.
But with the Chiefs and a rising team in the Chargers in your own division, everything you do is going to reflect on who your competition is. Is Jon Gruden your guy or not? Well, how does he stack up to Andy Reid and Brandon Staley?
How about Gus Bradley? How does he stack up to Steve Spagnuolo and Brandon Staley?
How about Derek Carr? How does he stack up to Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert?
Unfortunately, the Raiders lose out on almost/if not all of those arguments right now, and the fact that the Chargers got exponentially better at the end of this season starts the clock at an even later time for the Raiders to put something of value together because as it sits, the Raiders are third-best in the West.
That is why I fear the Raiders may have missed their window for success, at least with this current regime, but we shall see where they stand after the draft and free agency.