The Las Vegas Raiders are in a period of transition after letting both Derek Carr and Darren Waller leave the franchise, but their moves have been labelled as "downgrades" by an NFL executive.
After deciding to part ways with Carr, the Raiders signed San Francisco 49ers star Jimmy Garoppolo as their new quarterback before adding the experienced Brian Hoyer as their refreshed back-up. They've retained running-back Josh Jacobs after placing their franchise tag on the 25-year-old, but tight-end Waller was traded to the New York Giants.
Jakobi Meyers has been brought in to bolster their options at wide receiver, with Davante Adams set to be alleviated of some pressure next season. But their offseason business hasn't impressed one NFL executive, who thinks that the Raiders have downgraded their roster.
After moving on Carr, the Raiders were heavily linked with a whole host of big-name stars. Raiders fans were dreaming about a potential move for Tom Brady until he retired, but the franchise distanced themselves from any potential deal for Aaron Rodgers or Lamar Jackson due to concerns over space on their salary cap.
They've brought in an experienced figure in Garoppolo instead, and secured a 2023 third-round pick for Waller while splashing out on Meyers who traded from New England Patriots. It certainly hasn't been a bad offseason on paper given their conditions, but an unnamed NFL executive has been extremely critical of their moves.
"They want familiarity, but they have downgraded in every way," the executive said to The Athletic when summarising their activity. But head coach Josh McDaniels is confident about the 2023 season, and has always been a huge fan of Garoppolo since working with the quarterback at the Patriots.
McDaniels was at the Patriots when Garoppolo was traded to the 49ers, and his glowing report of the quarterback suggests why he was determined to sign him this offseason. When Garoppolo left the Patriots in 2017, McDaniels said: "We understand the business side of it, but the human element is that you had a guy in your room that you really enjoyed being around, you coached, that spent a lot of time learning and grasping what you were doing, and you saw him grow and get better and mature and improve through the course of time, and now he's not here.
"I wish him nothing but the best. I really, really think a lot of this guy. He's got a bright future, he's a great person and I hope he does well for himself out there."
Garoppolo led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2019, but after winning two titles with the Patriots he was denied his first success as a starter due to an iconic comeback from Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Garoppolo then made it to the NFC Championship in 2021, but fell short to eventual winners Los Angeles Rams.
