Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders are "likely to have some interest" in free-agent quarterback Sam Darnold, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Schefter said the Minnesota Vikings haven't ruled out a reunion with the 2024 Pro Bowler, with the franchise tag being a straightforward path to have him under contract for 2025.

In January, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler cited one NFL personnel executive who predicted Las Vegas to sign Darnold due to a few factors.

The Raiders clearly need a quarterback after cycling through Gardner Minshew II, Aidan O'Connell and Desmond Ridder as the starter this season. Going 4-13 only earned them the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, though, so they'll need to trade up in order to get Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders.

The personnel exec suggested the Raiders "need every pick" because they're far more than one quarterback away from being a contender.

With a projected $92.5 million in available salary cap space, Las Vegas will have more than enough room to sign a top free agent at QB and strengthen in other areas.

Schefer and Fowler's reports underline how Darnold is likely to get paid one way or the other regardless of his disappointing finish to the 2024 campaign. He went 18-of-41 for 166 yards in a Week 18 loss to the Detroit Lions and was then sacked nine times in Minnesota's NFC Wild Card Round defeat to the Los Angeles Rams.

Thanks to those two games alone, the idea of paying the 27-year-old nine figures looks a little less enticing.

But somebody is going to take the plunge, whether it's the Vikings giving him more than $40 million on the franchise tag or a suitor committing to a multiyear extension.

And if Darnold prefers a return to Minnesota, the Raiders' interest will be very useful in terms of building leverage at the negotiating table.

Superstar pass-rusher Maxx Crosby's future with the Las Vegas Raiders is reportedly in question entering the offseason.

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport, Crosby's future is "up in the air" as the Raiders attempt to bounce back from going 4-13 this season.

The 27-year-old Crosby is under contract through the 2026 season after signing a four-year, $94 million extension in 2022, so the Raiders don't have to make any kind of immediate decision on him.

During an appearance this week on PFT Live (h/t Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper), Crosby admitted that he experienced some frustration amid the Raiders' struggles this season, saying: "I've had doubts in the past. I feel like this past year was the hardest part of my career. Battling through injury the whole year, struggling, losing 10 games in a row. Up here, it makes you start questioning a lot of things."

While that statement could lead some to speculate that Crosby would welcome a trade, he also said in that same interview that he is "the most optimistic I've been" about the Raiders' direction since he joined the organization as a fourth-round draft pick in 2019.

In addition to legendary quarterback Tom Brady seemingly taking on a greater leadership as minority owner of the team, the Raiders hired a new head coach in Pete Carroll and general manager in John Spytek.

Per Pelissero and Rapoport, Crosby has both expressed his loyalty to the Raiders and a desire to win over the years, which could be two factors that conflict with each other until Vegas figures out its quarterback situation.

If the Raiders decide to listen to trade offers on Crosby, there will undoubtedly be a ton of interest across the league.

The Eastern Michigan alum is a four-time Pro Bowler who has recorded 59.5 sacks in 95 career regular-season games.

His best two seasons to date came in 2022 and 2023, as he put up elite numbers for the position and received some support for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Crosby had 89 tackles, 12.5 sacks and a league-leading 22 tackles for loss in 2022, followed by career highs across the board in 2023 with 90 tackles, 14.5 sacks and an NFL-high 23 tackles for loss.

After not missing a single game in any of his first five NFL seasons, Crosby was limited to 12 games in 2024 due to an ankle injury that required surgery.

Still, he was productive when healthy, finishing with 45 tackles, 7.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss.

It would be difficult for the Raiders to replace a pass-rusher of Crosby's caliber, but he would also bring back the type of draft capital that would likely help speed up the rebuilding process in Las Vegas.

WWE Superstar Seth Rollins is a big Chicago Bears fan, and he tried to recruit Las Vegas Raiders edge-rusher and four-time Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby to the team when the two met in New Orleans at Super Bowl LIX's Radio Row.

Crosby didn't seem interested, but he does seem intrigued by the possibility of stopping by the Raiders' home of Allegiant Stadium for WrestleMania 41, which will occur on April 19 and 20.

Fernando Ramirez of the Sporting Tribune relayed their interaction.

Crosby is on a four-year, $94 million deal that lasts two more seasons. He's not looking to leave town and is fully entrenched as the Raiders' franchise cornerstone right now.

The Bears could be an intriguing destination right now after they just landed one of the top coaching candidates out there in Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, so things are looking up in the Windy City even after a 5-12 campaign.

Crosby may not be heading to Chicago, but he just might be going to Allegiant Stadium for WrestleMania. Rollins should assuredly have a big role in that event as one of WWE's biggest stars. Mike Johnson of PWInsider Elite (h/t Collin Tessier of WrestleZone) reported that WWE's current plan is for Rollins to take part in a a three-man match also featuring Roman Reigns and CM Punk.

Nearly a decade removed from his last stint in the NFL, Chip Kelly is rejoining the professional ranks.

The former Ohio State offensive coordinator is taking over as the Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator under new head coach Pete Carroll. Kelly and Carroll briefly coached against one another when Kelly was at Oregon and Carroll was at USC, and Kelly had only good things to say about the legendary coach.

"I've got great respect from when I coached against him my first year in the Pac-10 — and I did say Pac-10, that's how long ago it was," Kelly said, per The Athletic's Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur. "I think everybody in the coaching profession, if you get a chance to work with Pete Carroll, you're pretty excited about it."

Kelly was at the top of the college football world at Ohio State, leading one of the best offenses in the country to a national title. Even after the successful year, the Raiders job was too tempting to pass up.

"Obviously, this is the highest league of football. The competition is at an all-time high," Kelly said. "It's that competition that drives you. And then talking with (general manager) John Spytek and (owner) Mark Davis and just where everybody is aligned in this organization and then getting a chance to talk to (minority owner) Tom Brady about what he feels he can help Pete and Mark with. I was just excited about that alignment of everybody."

One of the Raiders' biggest challenges this season will be under center. Las Vegas has no true starting quarterback heading into the 2025 season, so the team will either have to find one on its current roster, draft one or sign one in free agency. Kelly explained what he'll be looking for in the Raiders quarterback.

"It depends on the personnel because you can't build a quarterback," Kelly said. "We don't have a scientific lab here where we can say we want a 6-foot-5 guy that's 250 pounds and runs a 4.4 (40-yard dash) and can make every throw. You can't do that. You have to look at what is available to you whether it's through the draft or through free agency or on the current roster. And then, what are their strengths and how do we design our offense around their strengths? It has to be designed around how the quarterback plays. So, I think it's really your evaluation of the personnel that's available to you and then fitting them into that system."

Kelly found immediate success at Ohio State, but taking the Raiders to the promised land is a completely different challenge. Las Vegas hasn't won a playoff game since 2002 and has made the postseason just twice in the past 23 years.

With Kelly leading the offense, the Raiders will look to finally turn the corner.

Tom Brady clarified his role with the Las Vegas Raiders during a Fox conference call with reporters on Wednesday in advance of Sunday's Super Bowl.

Bryan Curtis of The Ringer asked a question on that front, and Richard Deitsch of The Athletic relayed the response.

"My ownership interests in the Raiders is just much more of a long-term, kind of behind the scenes type role. I am there to support the team and leadership and the overall vision of success.

"The best part for me is I love football so much and the fact that I get to be involved with it for the rest of my life and showcase this great game, not just as a broadcaster which is obviously one way, but in a limited partner role with an organization.

"It is something I hope a lot of other players get the opportunity to do. I want the game to continue to grow and continue to improve and get better. Whatever role I can play in that, I am really excited to do that."

Brady and his business partner, Tom Wagner, each bought a 5 percent stake in the Raiders in a deal approved by NFL ownership last October.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback remains Fox's lead NFL analyst after signing a 10-year, $375 million contract that began this season. He will be on the call Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles play Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.

Brady was also asked about his first year as a broadcaster, and he noted the importance of learning from past mistakes and correcting himself moving forward.

"I think the mistakes that I have made — and I have made plenty — I have learned from all of them," Brady said.

"You are not happy they have happened but at the same time I understand that when they do happen and I mispronounce words or forget a certain statistic or the preparation was a little off in terms of my thoughts on something and I screw up the analysis, I go back and I want to get it right the next time."

The Raiders hired a new general manager (John Spytek) and head coach (Pete Carroll) this offseason in hopes of moving past a 4-13 season.

When asked about his role on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Brady had this to say.

"Right now, it's a great ownership group," Brady said. "There's other great people involved. I'm one voice. It's so collaborative. I think this process of learning is so important. So, that's kind of where it's at."

It seems Brady's role might be more important than that, though, based on Raiders owner Mark Davis' remarks when the team introduced Carroll and Spytek on Jan. 27.

"Bringing in Tom Brady was bringing in somebody on the football side that I had been lacking having here in the organization," Davis told reporters (h/t ESPN). "Back in I guess it was '18, with Jon Gruden. He was somebody that I brought in and really expected to be that person on the football side that would bring stability to the organization. He had a 10-year contract and all that, and his head was chopped off. And we were put in a really bad position as an organization."

Gruden, the team's head coach on two different occasions (1998-2001 and 2018-2021) resigned in 2021 after the discovery of leaked emails containing misogynistic, racist and anti-gay language.

Now Brady, in essence, is seen as the replacement for Gruden to fill that football void Davis was looking to address. He was in the room interviewing head coaching candidates, per Davis.

It was clear Brady had great respect for Carroll, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, who had this to say on the hire.

"Then, there's Pete Carroll. One thing that a few connected people said to me early in the process was not to underestimate Brady's own experiences in the search—and how the respect he had for Carroll had always been apparent. In Carroll, he and the Raiders saw someone who could energize the building and give the team an identity."

So it's clear he has an influence on the team, which is unsurprising given his ownership stake and football pedigree. Whether that will lead to greater success in Las Vegas remains to be seen, but hiring a Super Bowl-winning coach in Carroll and an exec in Spytek who's won two Super Bowl rings (2015 with the Denver Broncos as a national scout; 2020 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as director of player personnel) is a good start.

Chip Kelly is reportedly returning to the NFL.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter and Pete Thamel, the Las Vegas Raiders have hired Kelly to be their offensive coordinator. Kelly spent the 2024 season as Ohio State's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, helping the Buckeyes win a national championship against Notre Dame last month.

According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, the Raiders gave Kelly a contract averaging $6 million per year, which makes him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the league. Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken and New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka were previously the highest paid at $3 million per year.

Kelly cut his teeth at a handful of smaller schools before getting his first major gig as Oregon's offensive coordinator in 2007. He took over as the Ducks head coach in 2009 and excelled, leading them to 10 wins or more in all four of his seasons and reaching the BCS national championship game in 2010.

Kelly got his first NFL coaching job in 2013 when the Philadelphia Eagles hired him as their head coach. He reached the playoffs in his first season at the helm but was fired in 2015 after a 6-9 start to the season.

Kelly then coached the San Francisco 49ers for a year in 2016 but was let go after a disastrous 2-14 season.

Following his struggles in the NFL ranks, Kelly returned to the collegiate ranks, taking over as UCLA's head coach in 2018. Kelly struggled early but posted three consecutive seasons with eight or more wins.

His success with the Bruins ultimately landed him the job at Ohio State ahead of the 2024 season.

Under Kelly, Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard threw for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns while adding 226 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. Ohio State's offense averaged 37.2 points and 429.4 yards per game.

In the College Football Playoff, Ohio State beat Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame each by double digits in one of the most impressive four-game stretches in recent memory.

Buckeyes star receiver Jeremiah Smith, who thrived under Kelly, reacted to the trade on social media:

Now Kelly will join a Raiders team that recently hired legendary coach Pete Carroll after his one-year stint away from the NFL. Las Vegas is looking for a coaching staff that can put it back in playoff contention, and the Raiders certainly have an experienced group.

Whether that experience will lead to wins is to be seen.

Chase Daniel believes past animosity between Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll could get in the way of the two reuniting with the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Raiders announced Carroll's hiring last Saturday after the former Seattle Seahawks coach spent a year away from the NFL.

The Athletic's Jeff Howe then named Wilson as a "name I've heard to watch" as the Raiders' next quarterback, adding that Wilson and Carroll have "mended fences" since their time together in Seattle.

"Immediate reaction is, did we forget that Russell tried to get Pete fired?" Daniel asked on Friday's episode of the Scoop City podcast with Dianna Russini (28:00 mark of the video below.) "So, how did they mend it, did they mend it, are we sure it's actually mended?"

The Seahawks traded Wilson to the Denver Broncos in March 2022. The following year, The Athletic reported that Wilson "requested the team fire coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider" before the trade.

The Athletic reported that Wilson was "convinced that Carroll and Schneider were inhibiting his quest to win additional Super Bowls and individual awards," and that he wanted the Seahawks to hire former New Orleans Saints coach and current Denver Broncos leader Sean Payton as Carroll's replacement.

Wilson denied the report while describing Carroll as "a father figure to me" in a response on social media.

When asked about the possibility of reuniting with Wilson on a Tuesday episode of the Rich Eisen Show, Carroll said it was too early to make any conclusions.

"Free agency hasn't come yet. That's the first competitive opportunity that will occur," Carroll told Eisen. "Then the draft is coming. We'll have that opportunity. I can't tell you right now. I could guess, but it would just be a guess."

The Raiders are in need of a new quarterback in 2025 after both Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew struggled at the position last season, and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport recently reported he believes Wilson "wanted to play for the Raiders last year" before signing with the Steelers.

As Howe put it, "Wilson could be a stopgap while the Raiders develop a long-term answer" should the team want to sign him to a short-term contract ahead of his age-27 season.

Wilson said after the Steelers were eliminated from the Wild Card round by the Baltimore Ravens that his "plan" was to return to Pittsburgh.

But the Steelers could decide to turn to a younger and potentially cheaper option in Justin Fields heading into 2025. That would free Wilson up for a potential reunion with his former coach should Carroll look to add a veteran option to his new quarterback room.

Tom Brady knows excellence when he sees it, and he reportedly has no plans on letting excellence walk out the door in his role as a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.

"He has his hands all over everything," Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported Friday on her Scoop City show (31:50 mark). "… He's going to make sure that Maxx Crosby is a pillar of the Las Vegas Raiders. You can't move on from a guy like Maxx Crosby."

Crosby is signed through the 2026 campaign and remains one of the best pass-rushers in football, so it makes sense Brady doesn't want to lose him.

Yet the 27-year-old brought up his future this month during an appearance on Good Morning Football (h/t Tashan Reed of The Athletic) and said, "I'm currently under contract, but I have no guaranteed money left. There are a lot of things that need to be discussed. ... Regardless, I'm in a great place, and we're going to have those discussions real soon."

Perhaps those discussions will include a contract extension given Brady's reported feelings on the pass-rusher.

Crosby is coming off his fourth straight Pro Bowl campaign that saw him post 45 tackles, 7.5 sacks and five passes defended in 12 games. Had he played all 17 games, he could have reached double-digit sacks for the third straight year.

He is a source of stability for a Raiders organization that has cycled through head coaches and quarterbacks of late and will be starting a new era in 2025 under head coach Pete Carroll.

Brady apparently doesn't want to lose that stability and star power along the defensive front and will do what it takes to make sure he doesn't.