The franchise comes off its first playoff appearance in 2016. But it was another offseason of numerous changes for the Las Vegas Raiders.
It’s now close to four decades since the Silver and Black hoisted a Lombardi Trophy. The season was 1983 and the then-Los Angeles Raiders capped off a 12-4 season with a 38-9 rout of then-defending Super Bowl champion Washington in Tampa.
Let’s fast forward roughly 20 years later to when the organization reached the Super Bowl in 2002. They would fall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in San Diego. But that was the last season that the Raiders actually won a playoff contest, defeating the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game.
There were quite a few distractions in 2021. But the club managed to survive all that turmoil and make its way to the postseason. But there’s a new regime in Sin City in general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels. And the Raiders may have struck gold with these three offseason pickups.
Las Vegas Raiders top offseason pickup no. 3: CB Rock Ya-Sin (Indianapolis Colts via trade)
Defense has been an issue for this franchise for more than a decade. The Raiders allowed more points (439) than they scored (374) this past season. The club surrendered 47 offensive touchdowns in 17 regular-season contests, including 29 through the air. And talk about struggling down the stretch? The team allowed a disturbing 177 points in the fourth quarter and overtime in 2021.
Three-year cornerback Rock Ya-Sin was obtained in the trade with the Colts that sent defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to Indianapolis. The 2019 second-round pick from Temple University has totaled four takeaways, a pair of forced fumbles, and 20 passes defended in three seasons.
Las Vegas Raiders top offseason pickup no. 2: WR Davante Adams (Green Bay Packers via trade)
He enjoyed a solid rookie campaign and came up big in the 2014 playoffs. But then things seem to go wrong for then-Packers’ wide receiver Davante Adams due mainly to an ankle injury. And he would wind up having a disappointing 2015 campaign.
But when it was all said and done during his eight-year stay in Green Bay, the former Fresno State product enjoyed his share of success and teamed with Aaron Rodgers (for the most part) to form one of the top passing combinations in the league.
Adams really came into this own the past six seasons, totaling a combined 581 catches for 7,192 yards and 69 scores in 87 regular-season contests. The eight-year pro has been named to five straight Pro Bowls and earned All-Pro accolades in both 2020 and ’21.
Now he’s a member of the Silver and Black as the Raiders sent a first- and second-round pick to the Packers in April. Adams is reunited with former college teammate Derek Carr. Both were second-round picks in 2014, with Carr going at No. 36 and Adams selected at No. 53. It will be fascinating to see how quickly this duo clicks as the team takes on the rival Chargers in Los Angeles in Week 1.
Las Vegas Raiders top offseason pickup: DE Chandler Jones (Arizona Cardinals)
A year ago, the Las Vegas Raiders invested big money into signing defensive and Yannick Ngakoue away from the Baltimore Ravens. The standout edge rusher proved to be a good compliment to fellow pass-rusher Maxx Crosby. In 2021, the duo combined for 18 of the team’s 35 sacks, with Ngakoue finishing with 10 of those quarterback traps.
But the well-traveled former Pro Bowler wound up being part of a deal that enabled general manager Dave Ziegler to acquire three-year cornerback Rock Ya-Sin from the Indianapolis Colts’ for Ngakoue. That’s because the Raiders wound up adding productive defender Chandler Jones, giving the team quite the bookend opposite Crosby (who signed a four-year contract extension earlier this year).
Jones was a first-round draft choice of the New England Patriots in 2012. He spent four years in Foxborough and was part of the club’s Super Bowl LI championship season before being dealt to the Arizona Cardinals in 2016. And the former Syracuse University really hit his stride in the desert.
A total of 10 seasons has added up to an impressive 107.5 sacks, to go along with 33 forced fumbles. He’s also recovered 10 fumbles, earned four Pro Bowl invitations, and been named All-Pro twice. And Jones has lined up at end and outside linebacker during his impressive career.