The Las Vegas Raiders came into the final week of the regular season with overwhelming odds at landing the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. But facing a Kansas City Chiefs team that had lost five straight and was obviously without Patrick Mahomes, the chances of the Raiders moving down a couple spots remained.
And to the surprise of many, the Raiders did snap their 10-game losing streak with a 14-12 victory over the Chiefs. But with the New York Giants defeating the Dallas Cowboys, the win didn’t matter, and the Raiders will still pick first in the NFL Draft in April.
The Raiders finished the season 3-14, tied with the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans for the NFL’s worst record. And if they are going to climb out of the cellar of the NFL, ESPN’s Ryan McFadden believes the team must address the quarterback situation:
The Raiders haven’t drafted a quarterback in the first round since JaMarcus Russell in 2007. That could very well change in April. The decision to bring in Geno Smith with the expectation that he could deliver instant success didn’t work. He threw a league-high 17 interceptions, and at 35, he is not getting any younger. If the Raiders are serious about building for the future — or in general manager John Spytek’s words, “sustained success” — that means bringing in a young quarterback.
The Raiders hoped to make an immediate jump back into postseason contention this season and felt Geno Smith could do that, but it obviously didn’t work out. It is impossible to win in this league without having the right quarterback, so the Raiders must fix that position this offseason.
There have already been rumors about who the Raiders could target in the draft, and the team is expected to decide between two top prospects. Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza of Indiana has had an outstanding year, but Oregon’s Dante Moore is viewed by some to be the better prospect, though it is also not a guarantee that he will enter the draft.
Regardless, the Raiders must make the right selection and finally begin turning around the fortunes of this franchise, which has struggled for so long.
Raiders fire head coach Pete Carroll
The Raiders will be in the market for a new head coach as well this offseason, as the team announced they are parting ways with Pete Carroll after just one season.
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