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3 reasons the Las Vegas Raiders are clearly rebuilding

By Micah McDonald

HENDERSON, NEVADA - JULY 27: General manager Dave Ziegler (L) and owner and managing general partner Mark Davis of the Las Vegas Raiders look on during the team's first fully padded practice during training camp at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on July 27, 2022 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
HENDERSON, NEVADA - JULY 27: General manager Dave Ziegler (L) and owner and managing general partner Mark Davis of the Las Vegas Raiders look on during the team's first fully padded practice during training camp at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on July 27, 2022 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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Raiders
Dec 15, 2019; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) celebrates next to tight end Darren Waller (83) after rushing for a first down against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth quarter at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /

3 reasons the Las Vegas Raiders are clearly rebuilding

Star Turnover

One could argue the turnover the Raiders have had to some of their star players is not indicative of what you’d see from a team that is in a full-blown rebuild. The Derek Carr situation was something that unfortunately was a long time coming and the current trade of tight end Darren Waller may have had some personal implications along with the business reasoning behind it.

In both scenarios the biggest part of the split relationship was the money it saved Las Vegas.

Between both players, the Raiders save $51 million in cap space for two players they would no longer be tied to two years down the road. Say what you want about what each player brought to the organization, but the fact of the matter is that the Raiders and Carr relationship needed to part ways and Darren Waller was an injury-prone pass catcher on the back side of his prime who missed almost as many games over the last two season as he played in.

With all that being said, you don’t move on from two players that were a staple of your franchise if you aren’t trying to turn a new leaf in some capacity and cash in on the rewards that come with it. The freed-up cap space will give them the ability to go out and be aggressive in free agency and the 3rd round pick they got for Darren Waller gives them another chance to either hit on a top-100 player or trade it for something else that can help the team.

Either way you cut it though, they sacrificed the old to rebuild the new.

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