Las Vegas Raiders

Derek Carr offered a firm commitment to the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday.

The three-time Pro Bowler didn't just reaffirm his desire to bring a Super Bowl title to the franchise but went a step further.

"I want to do it here," Carr told reporters. "I don't want to do it anywhere else. ... I'd probably quit football if I had to do it anywhere else."

He probably didn't intend for his comments to be taken literally given both his age (30) and the frequency with which players change teams in the NFL.

But before too long, fans may see whether Carr is a man of his word.

The veteran quarterback is signed for two more seasons. In the event the Raiders wanted to move on next offseason, his entire $19.9 million salary-cap hit could be converted into cap savings.

For now, Carr's future isn't in much doubt. Marcus Mariota is back, but Las Vegas' only other quarterback is Nathan Peterman.

The Raiders have missed the playoffs in each of Jon Gruden's first three seasons, which is equal to Carr's Pro Bowl drought after he earned three straight nods from 2015 to 2017. Under Gruden, he has thrown for 12,206 yards and 67 touchdowns with 27 interceptions and a 98.6 passer rating.

In general, Carr has performed well yet hasn't made himself so indispensable that a quarterback change is out of the question.

Should the Raiders' postseason drought extend to five years, they may start to have reservations about Carr since he'll be due a new contract in 2023.

And in that case, he may need to seriously consider life outside of Las Vegas.

On June 10, the Drug Enforcement Agency raided a house where then-Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. was present. No arrests were made, and no drugs were found.

Bowden spoke about the aftermath of that moment (and other topics) with NFL reporter Tyler Dunne and said he wasn't supported by Raiders coaches after revealing he was in the house when it was raided.

“Nobody was sticking up for me,” Bowden said. “It was, ‘Well, you know it is a drug house, it’s a gang-related house. So, he could’ve been in it.’ I’m hearing it! This is my first time even telling anybody this shit. I’m hearing ‘em! So I’m already knowing what their mindset is.”

The then-rookie thought his pro stint could be over: “I’m crying, like, ‘Man, my whole career is ruined.’”

The ex-Kentucky star said he FaceTimed Raiders special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia to tell him what happened, and in the background, the wideout heard coaches talking negatively about him.

Las Vegas used a third-round pick to take Kentucky's Lynn Bowden Jr. in the 2020 NFL draft, but the Silver and Black traded him to the Miami Dolphins less than five months later.

Bowden said that Raiders head coach Jon Gruden is “a good dude” and “a football guru" but also noted: “If you’re not his guy, you’re not his guy. Once he shies away from you, he shies away from you.”

Bowden had 28 catches for 211 yards alongside 32 rushing yards for the Dolphins. His best game was a seven-catch, 82-yard effort against the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs.

The Denver Broncos are the oddsmakers' clear favorite to land Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers if he's traded before the start of the 2021 NFL season.

DraftKings Sportsbook provided updated betting lines Tuesday for Rodgers' future, with a return to the Packers still listed as the most likely outcome, followed by a trade to the Broncos or Las Vegas Raiders:

Where Rodgers will open the new campaign has become a hot-button topic since ESPN's Adam Schefter reported in late April the reigning NFL MVP had "told some within the organization that he does not want to return to the team."

The 37-year-old Cal product hasn't publicly requested a trade, but he confirmed during an interview with longtime SportsCenter anchor Kenny Mayne, who hosted his last edition of the show Monday, there's a disagreement with the organization about "philosophy:"

"With my situation, look it's never been about the draft pick, picking Jordan [Love]. I love Jordan; he's a great kid. [We've had] a lot of fun to work together. Love the coaching staff, love my teammates, love the fan base in Green Bay. An incredible 16 years. It's just kind of about a philosophy and maybe forgetting that it is about the people that make the thing go. It's about character, it's about culture, it's about doing things the right way."

Green Bay selected Love in the first round of the 2020 draft without informing Rodgers about the intention to add his potential heir apparent.

The nine-time Pro Bowl selection declined to say during his interview with Mayne how he wanted to resolve the lingering issues with the franchise:

"I think sometimes people forget what really makes an organization. History is important, legacy of so many people who've come before you. But the people, that's the most important thing. People make an organization, people make a business and sometimes that gets forgotten. Culture is built brick by brick, the foundation of it by the people, not by the organization, not by the building, not by the corporation. It's built by the people.

"I've been fortunate enough to play with a number of amazing, amazing people and got to work for some amazing people as well. It's those people that build the foundation of those entities. I think sometimes we forget that."

Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson reported in early May that Rodgers "remains adamant that he won't return to the team under the current stewardship of general manager Brian Gutekunst," but the leader of the Packers' front office has been steadfast in his own stance.

"We're not going to trade Aaron Rodgers," Gutekunst said April 29 after the team drafted cornerback Eric Stokes in the first round of the draft.

Meanwhile, the Broncos have been unable to find a long-term answer at quarterback. Rodgers could step in and transform the team into a championship contender in much the same way Peyton Manning did during the final years of his career after his long tenure with the Indianapolis Colts.

Mark Schlereth, a former Denver offensive lineman and current 104.3 The Fan radio host, posted on the first day of the draft that a Rodgers-to-Broncos trade was “close to a done deal,” but nothing has materialized.

The team did pass on the available quarterbacks with the ninth overall pick in the draft, instead opting for Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II, so the need for a QB is still there. As it stands, Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater, who was acquired the day before the draft began, would compete for the starting job.

All of the other possible landing spots, including the Raiders, are long shots based on the current odds.

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden is curious to see how the NFL's new 17-game schedule affects things for teams in 2021. 

Speaking to Raiders analyst Eric Allen (h/t Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk), Gruden said the longer season is "going to be interesting" because the previous 16-game schedule was already "long to start with."

NFL owners approved the addition of an extra game to the schedule this season. It's the first change to the schedule since 1978 when the league went from 14 to 16 games. 

With the regular season extended by one game, the preseason schedule has been cut from four games to three. 

Gruden noted that the longer season means he might have to work with certain players differently than others during training camp and practices in order to prepare them for the grind of a 17-game schedule. 

"So guys … that are in [their] 10th year, we might treat you a little differently than Alex Leatherwood and [Trevon] Moehrig and some of these rookies coming in here. You’re going to have to really push some of these rookies, because it’s an eye opener for a young player, the length of the season.”

Leatherwood, a right tackle, and Moehrig, a free safety, were Las Vegas' top two picks in the 2021 draft. Both players figure to play a large role for the team as rookies. 

Gruden is entering his fourth season in his second stint as Raiders head coach. The 57-year-old led the team to an 8-8 record last year, their first non-losing season since 2016 (12-4). Interestingly his record in seven seasons with the team (57-55) is identical to his seven-season stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Las Vegas will open the 2021 season on Sept. 13 in a Monday night game against the Baltimore Ravens at Allegiant Stadium. 

The Las Vegas Raiders are looking to improve upon an 8-8 regular season in Jon Gruden's fourth year as head coach.

The Silver and Black showed promise last year by starting 6-3 and defeating the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs.

However, the Raiders—and their defense in particular—struggled down the stretch en route to a .500 finish. All seven of their final opponents scored 26 or more points.

Las Vegas has gotten better each season under Gruden, moving from 4-12 to 7-9 and then 8-8. The team will hope to finally achieve a winning season in this era as the league shifts to a 17-game regular-season schedule.

The Raiders made some moves this offseason to accomplish that goal. In free agency, they added edge-rusher, Yannick Ngakoue, running back Kenyan Drake, defensive lineman Solomon Thomas and wide receiver John Brown, among others.

In the draft, Las Vegas selected Alabama offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood and TCU safety Trevor Moehrig alongside five others. 

Now Vegas looks ahead to the season.  

That 2021 slate was released Wednesday. Here's a look at the Raiders' full schedule, including dates, times and television information. You can also find some general analysis and notes on pivotal matchups below.

Raiders Schedule

Analysis

On paper, the Raiders' schedule isn't too daunting.

Las Vegas has matchups against all four teams in the NFC East, which saw a 7-9 Washington Football Team win the division crown last year. Granted, that division can improve, but it doesn't look like a powerhouse quartet of teams at the moment.

The Raiders' extra 17th game is a home matchup against the Chicago Bears, who went 8-8 last year and lost a key defensive player in cornerback Kyle Fuller.

They do play a tough AFC North division, and three of the four teams won 11 or more games last season. Two of them will be on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.

But second place in the AFC West, behind likely winners and 2020 conference champion Chiefs, is up for grabs. Las Vegas finished ahead of the 7-9 Denver Broncos and 7-9 Los Angeles Chargers last year.

Overall, the schedule has its challenges, but there's a realistic path for Las Vegas to finish with a winning record.

Pivotal Matchups

Naturally, the pair of games against the rival Chiefs will be pivotal, especially if the Raiders find themselves in contention for the division crown.

Kansas City lost a pair of bookend offensive tackles in Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz, but it still has the best quarterback in football in Patrick Mahomes and two star playmakers in tight end Travis Kelce and wideout Tyreek Hill. The Chiefs also reloaded their offensive line anyway, notably adding Orlando Brown, Joe Thuney and Kyle Long in the offseason.

Games against the other two divisional opponents will be ones to watch. The Broncos added Fuller, rookie Patrick Surtain II and Ronald Darby to their secondary and should return edge-rusher Von Miller from a preseason injury that sidelined him for all of 2020. The Chargers are looking to shine under first-year head coach Brandon Staley, who has budding superstar Justin Herbert calling the shots behind center.

Otherwise, Las Vegas has a handful of Eastern Time Zone games, a few of which are against potentially difficult opponents. The 11-5 Browns should return wideout Odell Beckham Jr. from injury, and the 11-5 Indianapolis Colts are looking to make the next step under new quarterback Carson Wentz.

The New York Giants finished 6-10 last season, but they went on a spending spree in signing wideout Kenny Golladay and cornerback Adoree' Jackson. The 12-4 Steelers lost numerous pieces on defense but still have superstar T.J. Watt in their ranks.