AFC Outlook: Raiders have a long climb to reach relevancy

Chiefs going to the dance once more as conference rep and widening gap in the West

The Las Vegas Raiders know who they’re chasing.

Hell, the entire AFC — and perhaps the league as a whole — know the same thing.

It’s no secret the Silver & Black have a long climb to reach relevancy. That became even more crystal clear when the Kansas City Chiefs toppled the Buffalo Bills 32-29 in the AFC Championship game on Sunday.

The playoff bracket featured quality competition across the board and top-seeded Kansas City downed the No. 4 seed Houston Texans in the divisional round and No. 2 Bills. Andy Reid’s football team is once again the class of the AFC once again as the Chiefs head to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans to face the NFC representative Philadelphia Eagles.

Kansas City has the opportunity to land a three-peat in Super Bowl wins. Eight teams have won back-to-back Lombardi Trophies, but no team has won three in a row.

And that’s what Big Red is chasing in two weeks.

Said playoff bracket, however, featured a trio of AFC West teams, which will make the journey to relevance arduous for new Raiders head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek — both of whom were introduced officially on Monday. And the energetic and spry 74-year-old head coach did not stutter about what he’s seeking now he’s the lead man of the locker room: Win immediately.

That may sound laborious — winning from the get. And it’s surely going to be for both Spytek and Carroll. But difficult doesn’t mean impossible.

Far form it.

And if both the Raiders’ leading men are up for it, committed, and dedicated, that journey is going to be one hell of a story. Carroll has pen in hand and is ready to scribble.

“This is a real challenge for us, and we’re going to go arm in arm, John and I, and we’re going to put this thing together in a way that’s going to make you proud,” Carroll said during the introductory press conference. “You’re all wondering about timelines and all of that. It took us a few years to get to the very top of the last couple programs I was with. We’re starting right now, going for it immediately. We don’t have some time that we’ve got to make it five, six years down the road. That’s not what we’re thinking.

“We’ve got to start right now to go after it and build this team as quickly as we can. As John saw Maxx (Crosby) back there, Maxx, send the message, man. We’re coming after you. We’re going to come find you guys and get this thing rolling as soon as possible, with the highest of expectations, with a mentality that will drive high performance in a way that hopefully everybody is going to hear us and they’re going to know us. I’m really proud to take on that challenge.”

A Turnaround Can Happen Quickly

Spytek, Carroll and the rest of the decision makers in Las Vegas can turn the Raiders around quickly with sound personnel moves that encompass both staff and players. The team is on the hunt for building a coaching staff around Carroll. The coach even mentioned that he’s looking for a staff that’s been around him before and new faces.

The No. 1 spot the Raiders’ new brain trust must address is quite obvious: Quarterback. I wrote about that will test Spytek’s mettle as a talent evaluator and roster builder from the jump. The GM will have his own experiences as well as Carroll and minority Tom Brady to lean on in that department. Between the three of them, it’s a broad spectrum of experience and that can be a valuable thing.

Deciding if incumbents Aidan O’Connell or Gardner Minshew II can roll for a season or if landing a big fish in free agency or taking a shot at a prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft. Nothing should be left off the table. Nothing.

The cupboard isn’t barren in Las Vegas.

There are key pieces such as Crosby, tight end Brock Bowers, center Jackson Powers-Johnson, defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, amongst others. Spytek, Carroll, et al will need to make decisions on in-house free agents in safety Tre’Von Moehrig, slot cornerback Nate Hobbs, and middle linebacker Robert Spillane, to name a few. The Raiders have draft capital and salary cap coin to build.

Persistence Will Be Tested To The Max

There’s a steep downside to all this, of course.

You can chase all you want and the Chiefs simply stay ahead just outside of arms reach. Just ask the Josh Allen and the Bills who’ve been ousted from championship contention by Big Red — four times in the last five seasons. From 2019 on, Buffalo has finished first in the AFC East in all season but ‘19 (second place finish). The team ranks in the top 10 in points and yards scored from 2020 to now and had a solid defense to compliment to firepower.

And it wasn’t enough.

Since being hired as the head man in Kansas City in 2013, Reid hasn’t sustained a losing season. His worse mark in all those years was a 9-7 2014 campaign. Since then, it’s been double-digit regular season wins and three Super Bowl victories (with a potential fourth, and third-straight, on the horizon).

That shouldn’t dissuade teams from trying to knock the Chiefs off their perch. The 2023 rendition of the Raiders were the last team to truly punch Kansas City in the mouth and win convincingly — the 20-14 Christmas Day win in Arrowhead.

And it’s not only the Chiefs who the Raiders have to catch up to as the Chargers and Broncos both finished with winning records — 11-6 and 10-7, respectively — compared to the Raiders’ lowly 4-13 tally.

Yet, Carroll certainly has the energy and spirit for the sprint. And Spytek is the raved about personnel man who can build a squad that can compete.

Let’s see if this is the beginning of a legitimate Raiders renaissance.