Nobody would accuse the Las Vegas Raiders of being a well-run franchise over the last two decades. Raider Nation is used to failed draft picks, wasting money in free agency and losing big-name players through a variety of public meltdowns.
But things have dramatically changed this offseason with general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll in charge. They emphasized drafting high-character players, and they spent little money in the open market, banking on the fact that they could develop their in-house talent.
They've also proven that they will reward the players who are already in the building, as they re-signed Malcolm Koonce and Adam Butler and gave extensions to long-tenured Raiders like Maxx Crosby, Kolton Miller and A.J. Cole.
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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has not been able to do this, however. His long and drawn-out saga with Micah Parsons and his contract situation has resulted in the star edge rusher publicly bashing him and the organization and formally requesting a trade before the season.
Aside from the Raiders being a potential landing spot for the four-time Pro Bowler, his looming departure with the team is a reminder of just how good things are in Las Vegas under Spytek and Carroll.
Years ago, the Silver and Black were the team that the league laughed at, as star players like Khalil Mack, Amari Cooper and Josh Jacobs all left in their primes after having public spats with the team's leadership. Now, however, the Raiders are looked at as a standard for these contract negotiations.
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Of course, the team will need to supplement this with wins if they want to be a completely serious franchise, but things are certainly trending in the right direction. Las Vegas had no quarrels about parting ways with Christian Wilkins last week when things went sideways.
While that certainly put the team in the spotlight and will be a long process as they sort things out legally, the decision was made in the best interest of the team, not in a petty power standoff with one of the league's best players or a rising star.
Raider Nation has convinced itself far too often that the new regime was going to lead them to the promised land and has been subsequently let down. But this year, it feels like the fan base is attempting to do the opposite, trying not to get too excited about all of the positivity brewing in Las Vegas.