Las Vegas Raiders

Las Vegas Raiders defensive back Kemah Siverand was reportedly arrested in Houston on Saturday morning and is facing felony evading charges, per Jonathan McCall of KRON4 News. 

Siverand was the same player who was released by the Seattle Seahawks in August after attempting to sneak a female visitor into the team's hotel during training camp by dressing her in Seahawks gear to disguise her as a player, violating team rules amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The undrafted rookie was signed by the Raiders in October, though he didn't appear in any games for the team as a practice-squad member. Las Vegas signed him to a Reserve/Future contract in January. 

According to the police report (h/t Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today), Houston police officers saw five cars racing on the North Loop East highway and stopped three cars. Two suspects were charged with racing on a highway. 

Siverand "initially stopped for officers, then continued to drive another mile before stopping." He was released following his arrest on a $2,500 bond.

"The highways are supposed to be for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods," Houston Police chief Art Acevedo said in a press conference Monday. "Not for people, especially men in their 20s, 30s and 40s, to think that they're a part in The Fast and the Furious."

If the Pittsburgh Steelers aren't able to re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster before the beginning of the free-agency period, he may find a new home in Las Vegas. 

"I do think the Steelers will have productive talks with him, try to keep Smith-Schuster. Big Ben would love to have him back. But I know the Raiders like his game, his toughness," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said Sunday on SportsCenter. "They could add a new dimension there. Smith-Schuster can do a lot of different things on offense for Derek Carr and that attack. And the Jets I believe will look at him as well. Nelson Agholor, though, with the Raiders they really like him and could try to keep him."

Smith-Schuster recorded 97 receptions for 831 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020 and could be one of the top skill position players on the market.

The Steelers seem unlikely to use the franchise tag on Smith-Schuster given their cap constraints. A tag would cost Pittsburgh roughly $16.4 million in 2021, an onerous cap hit for a team that will already have to renegotiate Ben Roethlisberger's contract this offseason to sneak under the cap.

If Smith-Schuster becomes a free agent, it seems likelier than not that he'll play elsewhere in 2021. The Raiders' top wide receiver last season, Nelson Agholor, will be a free agent this offseason. It's possible they will allow Agholor to walk and sign a slot player like Smith-Schuster, with second-year wideout Henry Ruggs being more heavily relied upon to stretch the field.

Smith-Schuster signing in Las Vegas may lead to Darren Waller's ceiling being limited. Waller has regularly lined up in the slot the last two seasons and has been Derek Carr's favorite target underneath. It's a situation worth monitoring for fantasy purposes in particular, as Waller's been among the most productive tight ends in football. 

Derek Carr has reportedly generated interest around the league on potential trades, but the Las Vegas Raiders aren't likely to move their starting quarterback, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

"It would take a pretty big haul to pry him away," Fowler reported on SportsCenter Sunday.

Fowler noted Marcus Mariota is "more likely to be dealt." 

The Raiders have turned down trades for Carr in the past but NFL Network recently reported the team is now "open to considering it in some form or fashion."

Carr still has two years remaining on his contract but the team could save $19.625 million by trading or releasing the quarterback this offseason, per Spotrac.

Mariota's contract also allows for an easy move with a $10.725 million cap hit in 2021 but zero guaranteed if he is released or traded.

The Raiders could move forward with either of them as the starting quarterback—or someone new altogether—but it would be quite expensive to keep both in 2021.

Carr could be a reliable option for some team next year after topping 4,000 passing yards in each of the last four seasons. The 29-year-old produced a career-high 101.4 quarterback rating in 2020 thanks to 27 touchdown passes and only nine interceptions.

Las Vegas could still be seeking a fresh start at the position after reaching the playoffs just once in seven years since drafting Carr in 2014. The team finished 8-8 in 2020 after a 6-3 start to the year.

Wide receiver Tyrell Williams' time with the Las Vegas Raiders will reportedly come to an end at the start of the league year in March. 

Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported the Raiders plan on releasing him after he missed the 2020 campaign following shoulder surgery. The move would save the AFC West team $11.5 million in salary.

Pelissero noted Williams will be "fully healthy" when he hits free agency and figures to remain in his prime for the immediate future at just 28 years old.

The Western Oregon product went undrafted and was a secondary contributor for the then-San Diego Chargers in the first season of his career in 2015. However, he broke through in his second season with 69 catches for 1,059 yards and seven touchdowns.

Even though he is yet to replicate those numbers, he was productive from 2017-19 with three straight years of more than 650 receiving yards.

At 6'4", his size makes him an ideal candidate for fade routes and red-zone targets, and he has enough speed to beat press coverage and make plays over the top when needed. It looked like he was well on his way to dominance with the Raiders when he scored a touchdown in each of his first five games with the team in 2019, but he found the end zone just one more time the rest of the year.

Las Vegas was clearly comfortable moving on from a financial standpoint, but Williams is talented enough with a track record of solid production to be an under-the-radar addition for teams in need of wide receivers this offseason.

If he bounces back at full health, the veteran could be a No. 2 option on important passing plays during the 2021 campaign.

The Las Vegas Raiders may have dreams of acquiring Deshaun Watson to be their starting quarterback, but that doesn't mean they are pushing to dump Derek Carr. 

David Carr, brother of the Raiders star, said on NFL Network (h/t NFL Network's James Palmer) that the Raiders are telling teams Derek is not available. 

Rumblings about the Raiders potentially pursuing Watson were first brought up when Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Feb. 2 that "several NFL insiders" are expecting the team to take offers for Carr. 

Bonsignore suggested the potential interest in Carr could give the Raiders enough capital to make an offer for Watson that would satisfy Houston's demands. 

Las Vegas head coach Jon Gruden is skeptical that Watson will even get traded. 

"I personally look at this like a fantasy world here," Gruden said on the Cris Collinsworth Podcast Featuring Richard Sherman (h/t John Breech of CBS Sports). "They have a new GM [Nick Caserio] in Houston who comes from New England, he just went through a year in New England without Tom Brady. I think he has a pretty good idea how important Deshaun Watson is to the Texans."

Even though Watson has requested a trade, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday that the Texans are telling teams they won't deal their franchise quarterback. 

Carr is under contract for two more seasons with cap hits of $22.13 million in 2021 and $19.88 million in 2022. The three-time Pro Bowler has thrown for 4,000 yards in each of the past three seasons. He has thrown 67 touchdowns with a 68.9 completion percentage since the start of 2018.

On paper, the Kansas City Chiefs appear to be well ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders. They are 5-1 in head-to-head showdowns with their AFC West rivals since Patrick Mahomes took over under center and are coming off two straight trips to the Super Bowl.

While they came up short in Sunday's matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they capped off their 2019 campaign with a Lombardi Trophy by beating the San Francisco 49ers. Meanwhile, the Raiders have made the playoffs only once since the 2002 campaign.

However, Las Vegas tight end Darren Waller told Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area that he doesn't think there is a big gap between the two teams:

"I really don't think there's much because the first game we won, the second game they score at the end and if you ask people on defense, they say we can't happen but those are two games that we feel like we should have won. We don't feel like the gap is that big, honestly. It's easy to show up and play them because they are so good and so talented that you naturally want to play your best. We feel like our best is right there with theirs."

To Waller's point, the Raiders were the only team to beat the Chiefs during the 2020 regular season when Mahomes was under center. They nearly completed a season sweep of the AFC champions in Week 11, but Mahomes hit Travis Kelce for the game-winning touchdown with 28 seconds remaining.

Waller and the Raiders know they can at least hang with Kansas City in head-to-head matchups. Their next trick is establishing the consistency to compete with Mahomes and Co. in the standings throughout the season.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that "there's legitimate and real interest" in Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota, who appeared in one game this season, taking over for a hurt Derek Carr in Week 15.

In the 30-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Mariota completed 17 of his 28 passes for 226 yards and a touchdown, adding a rushing score while compiling 88 yards on nine carries.

The No. 2 pick in 2015, Mariota is entering the final season of his two-year deal with the Raiders and is set to earn $10.6 million in base salary in 2021, per NFL.com's Grant Gordon. If he makes a move, it will be his third team in as many years.

The quarterback rumor mill has been spinning since the Detroit Lions sent Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for Jared Goff. Per Gordon, Rapoport had previously reported that teams around the league believed the Raiders were "open" to moving either of their quarterbacks.

But the latest development finds that the team is hoping to hang on to Carr. Per Gordon, Rapoport said it "didn't sound like [the Raiders have] hung up the phone, but I don't get the sense they want to deal him, either."

The 29-year-old Carr is set to enter his eighth season in the league, having spent all of them with the Raiders. The 2014 second-round pick has two years left on a five-year, $125 million extension.

In 2020, he posted a career-high 4,103 yards with 27 touchdowns, nine interceptions and a 67.3 completion percentage.

Keeping Carr is a smart move for the Raiders, and while Mariota is a capable backup, his $10.725 million cap hit without penalty for moving on makes a trade an ideal option.

The Las Vegas Raiders may trade a quarterback this offseason, but it reportedly will not be Derek Carr.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote Monday: "While there were rumors floating around that the asking price for Carr was two first-round picks last week, I was told pretty emphatically that Carr isn't available." 

However, Breer reported the Raiders are willing to listen to offers for backup signal-caller Marcus Mariota.

While bigger names such as Deshaun Watson, Carson Wentz and Sam Darnold could all be on the move via trades this offseason, Mariota would be a cheaper flier for a team hoping to help him rediscover his potential.

The Tennessee Titans selected him with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2015 NFL draft following a brilliant collegiate career at Oregon. Mariota threw for more than 3,200 yards in 2016 and 2017 in Tennessee and can make plays with his legs either as a runner or by escaping pressure if the pocket breaks down.

The Oregon played in only one game this season for the Raiders when Carr suffered an injury in the early going of a Dec. 17 divisional showdown against the Los Angeles Chargers. Mariota ran nine times for 88 yards and a touchdown while also going 17-of-28 for 226 yards, one touchdown and one interception through the air.

Las Vegas ultimately fell in overtime by three points, but he looked like a potential upgrade under center for handful of teams around the league.

Mariota is only 27, should be relatively fresh after his limited playing time in 2020 and is under contract through the 2021 campaign. He could be a low-risk addition for a quarterback-needy team and is reportedly available this offseason.