NFL offseason: Jim Caldwell a strong candidate for the Raiders?
Rumors aside, if Jim Caldwell wants a place that has a solid foundation, look no further than the Raiders. I’m not talking about the front office. Mike Mayock is out of there, but they have a tenacious team.
Despite the controversy and losing their head coach, the Raiders played their way into the playoffs. A lot of credit goes to Rich Bisaccia, who stepped in as interim head coach. Should the Raiders move on, Caldwell should have them on his list.
It starts with Derek Carr, who completed nearly 70% of his passes. More importantly, he deserves a share of the credit as the unquestioned locker room leader. He took command of the team and helped take them to the playoffs, proving why he’s a franchise quarterback. Caldwell will continue to get the best out of Carr, as he did with Stafford.
They have similar skill sets, rocket arms who throw from the pocket, but Carr is a better linear athlete.
Defensively, they have some work to do but allow me to digress. Imagine Cadwell bringing Don ‘Wink’ Martindale along with him. The two coached together in 2012 with the Baltimore Ravens. Wink would breathe new life into the defense. In reality, the focus should be on making one side of the ball great.
With decent cap space and not a ton of free agents, the Raiders can win now. In the 2022 NFL Draft, they can focus on adding more weapons around Carr and competing in the high-powered AFC West.