This past offseason was a bit different for the Las Vegas Raiders under the guidance of general manager John Spytek. Outside of the move for Geno Smith, the team barely spent any money acquiring free agents, opting mainly to build through the draft and extend players in-house.
They did make a move to sign veteran guard Alex Cappa, however, who spent years alongside Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Most figured that he would be a depth piece, but his two-year, $11 million deal made fans second-guess that notion.
Cappa spent the entire preseason complicating things for Las Vegas' offensive line, as he was placed in a competition with Jackson Powers-Johnson, who was clearly the superior player with more long-term upside. But Pete Carroll kept giving him opportunities, and Raider Nation grew more frustrated.
Raiders look like they wasted $11 million on Alex Cappa this offseason
Well, with Powers-Johnson headed to the Injured Reserve after Week 10, many felt that Cappa was the obvious heir at right guard. But then, rookie Caleb Rogers told the media that he was starting against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11, and the fan base had no idea what to think.
Things became clearer just before game time, as the Raiders announced that Rogers would be a healthy scratch, which paved the way for Cappa to start after all. Then the lines got blurred again. Smith told ESPN reporters before the game that Will Putnam was starting at center on Monday.
Now, the question, again, became who would start at right guard: Cappa or Jordan Meredith, who played guard last year but has served exclusively as the starting center during the 2025 NFL season. When the Las Vegas offense trotted out there in the game, it was Meredith at right guard, not Cappa.
So, the Raiders spent the entire offseason overthinking things at right guard, deciphering if Powers-Johnson or Cappa was a better option. The latter even replaced the former in a handful of games this season. Then, with Powers-Johnson out, Las Vegas didn't even put Cappa in at right guard? What?
RELATED: Maxx Crosby calls out 2-8 Raiders in a message they need to hear
The Raiders may be realizing that they made an $11 million mistake this offseason, but the fan base knew that all along. How does Cappa, who is pigeonholed at right guard, not get the nod when the team's starting right guard goes down? It defies logic and goes against what they did all preseason.
Carroll then told reporters during Tuesday's press conference that, of course, the team had a competition to see who would start at right guard and center. The veteran coach then revealed that Cappa was competing with Putnam for the starting center spot, which came as a shock.
Cappa has never played center in the NFL. In fact, he never played it in college. But, for some reason, Carroll and Co. felt it was best to try him out at center this week, midseason, after spending the entire offseason and the beginning of this campaign giving him every opportunity to start at right guard.
Las Vegas paid Cappa $11 million this offseason, so he should have been the obvious replacement for Powers-Johnson. But, somehow, he got beaten out at guard by a player that the coaching staff swore was better at center, and Cappa obviously got beaten out at center by someone who has always played center.
It sure seems like the Raiders are admitting defeat on this move, as despite two major injuries to the offensive line, including one at his position, Cappa can't crack the starting lineup anymore. Plugging him in at right guard would have been the easiest thing, but that's not how Carroll and his staff roll.
They took a big gamble this offseason, acquiring Cappa at a steep price, and then they took a gamble with their starting offensive line against the Cowboys. Neither of those things has worked out, once again calling into question the competency of Carroll and the offensive line coach, who happens to be his son.