There's Always Next Year: Oakland Raiders

There's something funny about Raiders owner Mark Davis threatening to move his team to Las Vegas.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet)January 29, 2016

Obviously it's terrible for Raiders fans, but when you look back at the legacy of Mark's dad, Al Davis, who fought the league tooth and nail for years, you understand where he's coming from. Not only would moving to Vegas for a big new stadium secure the team's future; it would also be a big "up yours" to the rest of the NFL. The league would have to deal with whatever fallout might come from a team moving to the capital of legalized gambling. And think of the home field advantage you get when you have a bunch of 20-to-35-year-old opponents visiting Vegas on Saturday night!

As for Oakland's on-field product, things finally started to blossom a bit in 2015. The Raiders hit big on Michael Crabtree in free agency and Amari Cooper in the draft, and they have built a great offensive line. The defense is still a work in progress, but the Raiders now have a situation compelling enough to actually bring in free agents.

For a team that was, to be honest, downright boring in the wake of Al Davis's death, the year ahead should be an interesting one.

Coach and Quarterback Confidence Rating: 5/10

Derek Carr's rookie season was safe, with pretty mediocre results. Carr's 2015 season was good when they were able to keep him safe. The big Oakland offensive line wore down toward the end of the season, and the receiving depth was tested when Cooper came up lame in December.

Carr played well, but I'm beginning to believe how he played in the early portion of last season isn't sustainable. Well, it's not sustainable unless the Raiders continue to surround him as well as they did in 2015. Extending Crabtree to an extension, but this is a quarterback who needs the extra time in the pocket to thrive. That means heavy investment on the offensive line makes sense.

As for Oakland's coach, Jack of the River is a fine leader of men. If any other NFL coach matches his profile, it's Jeff Fisher, but Del Rio at least knows better than to try to control his offense purely with a running game. Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave did a great job building the offense to Carr's strengths and Del Rio does get points for finding him.

Key Offseason Decision: Can the Raiders find another hit later in the draft?

After some rather ugly drafts to begin Reggie McKenzie's tenure as general manager, Oakland hit a home run in 2014: Carr, edge rusher Khalil Mack, and guard Gabe Jackson are as good as you can do in the first three rounds.

With the No. 14 overall selection for 2016, the Raiders are picking outside of the top 10 for the first time in three years, so the question becomes, who are they going to be able to grab? I'm sure they'd love a cornerback from the Jalen Ramsey/Vernon Hargreaves/Mackenzie Alexander trio to fall to that spot. It also makes a lot of sense to pair Oakland with Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland at 14, even if the last Alabama middle linebacker they picked in the first round didn't work out.

Oakland is in a nice spot this year in free agency, but, barring a trade-up, they won't be controlling the draft like they did in 2014. There's always one team positioned to pounce on the mistakes of the inept franchises ahead of them in the draft, and that could be Oakland if they wind up with one of the best corners on the board at 14.

Major Free Agents: DE Aldon Smith, LT Donald Penn, P Marquette King, WR Andre Holmes, RT Khalif Barnes

Smith has already drawn a league suspension for the first nine games of 2016, which should make his market interesting. He's Oakland's best non-Mack pass rusher at this point, and they definitely have the money to make him a luxury piece early in the season.

The other big free agent here is Penn, who has had a pair of great seasons since Tampa ditched him over weight issues. Penn turns 33 in April, so the Raiders may opt for a franchise tag with him just to save themselves any potential future cap hit on a release.

King has developed into a pretty good young punter. He could also draw a tag just because teams are stupid about franchising kickers and punters to get them on one-year deals.

Cap Situation: $76,931,686—second in the NFL

After spending the past few years bidding up free agency's best, only to see them get a better contract elsewhere, the Raiders should find themselves in a weird position this offseason: with money to spend and free agents interested in joining them. A rising quarterback lifts the whole franchise. Carr will help sell free agents on Oakland.

Their major weak spots are the defensive secondary and linebackers, though I could also envision them picking up a wideout, back, or a replacement for J'Marcus Webb on the line.

With their resources and needs, there's no reason not to bring in a haul here. They can aim high for players like Denver defensive lineman Malik Jackson, former Chargers safety Eric Weddle, and Broncos linebacker Danny Trevathan. They should also be in the conversation if any presumed franchise tag players (Von Miller, Josh Norman, etc.) wind up on the market instead.

It'll be interesting to see how McKenzie plays this, but the Raiders should have options.