Raiders' GM Ziegler on Fans Being Fearful of Rebuild

After a disappointing season that saw the Las Vegas Raiders go 6-11 and miss the playoffs, some fans may be speculating that management may blow the team up and start a rebuild. With a first-year head coach and general manager, the fear is that they will want to build the team in their own fashion, instead of what is already in place. “Rebuild” is always a scary word for NFL fans, as they associate it with trading away the team’s established players and entering years of non-competitiveness.

While Dave Ziegler does want to build the Raiders in his vision, he says this does not entail a complete fire sale. He believes in the foundation of the team and in Josh McDaniels’ ability to build a competitive culture in Las Vegas. While Ziegler won’t trade every player on the roster, he does believe in retooling the team the way he envisions a winner. He spoke last week in an interview about fans being fearful of a rebuild on the horizon.

“Any time you come somewhere new, and you’re taking over an organization, or you’re new to the organization, there’s an element of - especially in today’s NFL - yes, you want to win now, but there’s also an element of reconstructing what has been there, or what’s not there, to fit your mold, and so yes, there’s going to be players coming and going, there’s going to be some painful things that you have to go through, because you can’t correct every single hole, or make every single player acquisition in one year,” he said.

While Ziegler and the Raiders want to win as soon as possible, he understands the gravity and the reality of the situation - that he cannot fix every problem with the roster immediately and that it takes time.

“We’re going to continue to find players that fit what we look for, and continue to build this team in our vision, and I think we’re going to, at the same time, our goal is to win football games, and our goal for next year is to make an improvement over where we were this year,” he said.

Ziegler will now have to find the balance between building the roster the way he wants and doing so in a patient manner, despite pressure and impatience from outside voices.

The NFL Scouting Combine is Feb. 28-March 6, 2023, held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. On March 7, 2023, before 4 p.m. EST, is the club's deadline to designate Franchise or Transition Players.

March 13-15 is the free agent negotiation period. During that time, starting at 12 p.m. EST on March 13 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m. EST on March 15, clubs are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2022 Player Contracts at 4 p.m EST on March 15.

The 2023 NFL Year and Free Agency period begins at 4 p.m. EST on March 15. The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free-agent market this season.

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