Raiders offseason to-do list: Pierce, QB among team’s biggest questions

The Raiders face another busy offseason this winter.

Their to-do list could range from moving on from coach Antonio Pierce to welcoming in the voice of new minority owner Tom Brady to chasing a franchise quarterback.

The team will get started sometime Sunday night after wrapping up its regular season against the Chargers (10-6) at Allegiant Stadium. Expect the Raiders (4-12) to move fast as they plot their future.

Here are some of the things they need to address:

Make a call on Pierce

Raiders owner Mark Davis listened to alumni, fans and players — including defensive end Maxx Crosby and wide receiver Davante Adams — before making Pierce the franchise’s full-time coach last January.

The team went 5-4 under Pierce’s leadership on an interim basis after Josh McDaniels was fired Oct. 31, 2023. Pierce’s results, and the atmosphere he brought to the building, gave him an opportunity. But he hasn’t been able to carry the Raiders’ momentum into this season.

The team has been competitive in most games, but the AFC West features established leaders like Kansas City’s Andy Reid, Denver’s Sean Payton and Los Angeles’ Jim Harbaugh. Pierce, 46, is younger than all three and is much earlier in his coaching career. Yet the Raiders may not be able to wait around to see if he can develop further.

Part of the team’s decision may come down to who is available as a potential replacement. And who would be willing to take the job.

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and former Titans coach Mike Vrabel are strong candidates and could have multiple options this cycle. They may believe the Raiders job — which includes a tough division, a thin roster and no franchise quarterback — is less desirable than some of the other ones available.

Brady, who is expected to have a prominent voice in the team’s football operations, looms as a potential wild card when it comes to Pierce’s fate. It remains to be seen whether he’ll try to use his influence with Davis to push for a new coach like Vrabel, his former Patriots teammate.

The future of general manager Tom Telesco, to a lesser extent, is also uncertain. Davis said Pierce and Telesco will be evaluated separately, so firing one may not lead to firing the other.

Telesco, 52, can also point to several accomplishments in his first year with the franchise.

His first three draft picks — tight end Brock Bowers, left guard Jackson Powers-Johnson and right tackle DJ Glaze — all became starters their rookie seasons. Telesco unearthed other promising young players like defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson, defensive tackle Jonah Laulu and safety Thomas Harper throughout the year as well.

Find a QB

The Raiders’ late-season surge under Pierce in 2023 took them out of the running for one of the top quarterbacks in the draft.

The team ended up with the 13th pick. USC’s Caleb Williams, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye were off the board after the first three selections. Then Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. went eighth to the Falcons, Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy went 10th to the Vikings and Oregon’s Bo Nix went 12th to the Broncos.

The Raiders left the first round empty-handed. That meant they had to roll with second-year quarterback Aidan O’Connell and veteran Gardner Minshew, who they signed in free agency in March.

It was obvious from the beginning that neither would be able to make the Raiders contenders.

O’Connell has shown improvement the last few weeks, but he projects best as a strong backup or potential spot starter. The Raiders can’t expect him to be their long-term answer at quarterback.

That means they could look to the draft again.

Shedeur Sanders of Colorado and Cam Ward of Miami (Florida) are considered the top two passers in this year’s class. But the Raiders are projected to pick eighth overall entering Week 18, meaning they may need to trade up to get either one. They learned last year how difficult that can be.

The Raiders could choose to go back to the free-agent market instead. Sam Darnold may be available after an incredible season with the Vikings, though Minnesota could just franchise tag him.

One thing is certain: Running it back with O’Connell or Minshew isn’t going to get the Raiders where they want to go.

Which free agents stay?

The Raiders have a large group of players with expiring contracts.

The group they need to make decisions on includes linebacker Robert Spillane, cornerback Nate Hobbs, safety Isaiah Pola-Mao, defensive end Malcolm Koonce, defensive tackle Adam Butler and left guard Jordan Meredith. The good news is the Raiders are projected to have around $108 million in cap space next season, so they should be able to retain who they want to.

The team will just need to figure out which players it can upgrade on either internally or on the open market. As well as what positions it wants to prioritize to fix a club that ranks 28th in the NFL in points per game (18.1) and tied for 24th in points allowed per game (25).

Crosby’s future

Crosby, who had never missed a game in his NFL career before this season, will sit out five this year with an ankle injury.

He remains one of the league’s most destructive forces when healthy. He’s also the heart and soul of the Raiders’ locker room.

Crosby, 27, has always said he wants to stay with the team for life. But he wants to win as well. The Raiders have failed him in that regard, given he’s been to the playoffs just once in his six years with the organization.

The two sides will need to talk this offseason because Crosby has no more guaranteed money in his contract, which runs through the 2026 campaign. It’d be highly unusual for a player of his stature to suit up without some additional security.

Those negotiations could get interesting. Would the Raiders be willing to trade Crosby for draft picks to help their rebuild, rather than give him an extension? And would the two-time All Pro be open to that, given how far away the team appears to be from winning?

It’s just one of many questions the Raiders will need to answer this offseason. It should be as interesting a winter as the team has had in recent memory.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com . Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.