Why Raiders Need to Rebuild, Not Look for a Quick Fix

The next Las Vegas coach should focus on building for the long term rather than on immediate results.

Maxx Crosby’s future in Las Vegas is unknown after another disappointing season for the team. / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

It’s easy to forget about the wild-card games because of all the news that occurs immediately after the conclusion of the regular season.

​Raheem Morris was fired by the Falcons not long after the Ravens and Steelers kicked off for the final game of the regular season on Sunday night. Three more coaches were fired the following day to give us six head-coaching vacancies, at least for now.

Coordinators were also fired, and we got a few “mutual parting of ways,” which is usually never actually mutual. So much drama unfolds in the week leading up to the wild-card games that we need a mediocre team from one of the South divisions to ease us into the playoffs.

​But before we get to Panthers-Rams on Saturday, let’s unpack some of the notable news items of the past few days for this week’s NFL Fact or Fiction.

Next Raiders coach should not be judged on wins and losses 

Maybe, finally, the Raiders are starting to realize that the quick-fix route is not the right one for this organization. 

Trading for Randy Moss in 2005, two years removed from a Super Bowl appearance, was O.K. Trading for Antonio Brown in ’19 and Davante Adams in ’22 were desperate moves. Promoting Antonio Pierce to head coach two years ago because there was a slight chance that he could help restore the old Raiders culture was sad. Hiring coaches Pete Carroll and Josh McDaniels in an attempt to copy what they achieved at prior stops was sadder and even more desperate. Bringing back Jon Gruden was embarrassing and turned disastrous. 

I could go on and on about this franchise refusing to look in the mirror about their quicksand state this century. The Raiders have been chasing the glory days for so long that the last quarter century might seem like a blur. It’s like the millennials who refuse to believe Nelly’s “Country Grammar” is now considered old-school music. The 2000s are the new 80s when it comes to referring to the old days and the Raiders are somehow stuck in both eras. 

Carroll had to go because he was hired for his past and coached for the present for a team that desperately needed to think about the future. I thought there was a chance minority owner Tom Brady would screw this up and not fire Carroll because it would be a bad look to have his first crucial team decision be a one-and-done. But, at least now we know that Brady wants to make sure he gets the right coach regardless of how the optics look. Based on how the Raiders operate this offseason, we’ll see whether Brady wants a proper rebuild or another doomed quick fix.  

Again, I’m not saying the Raiders should copy another franchise because they have already tried the Patriot Way and attempted to recreate whatever Carroll and Geno Smith achieved in Seattle—a blowout wild-card loss vs. San Francisco in 2023? But it wouldn’t be bad if Brady took notice of what Nick Caserio had to do to rebuild the Texans in the post–Deshaun Watson era, as my colleague Conor Orr pointed out. 

Brady and GM John Spytek need to be innovative and do whatever it takes to achieve a proper rebuild, even if it means a few more losing seasons. Firing Carroll and landing the No. 1 pick were steps in the right direction. Trading Maxx Crosby for draft picks would be a substantial step forward. And majority owner Mark Davis should continue staying out of the way, even if it means parting with a few popular players. 

The next coach of the Raiders should not be judged on wins and losses in 2026 and maybe even beyond that, as long as players are being developed and the product on the field flashes upside, similar to Dan Campbell’s Lions of 2021 and ’22 and Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers of ’17 and ’18. 

Just build, baby.

Manzano’s view: Fact

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Lamar Jackson struggled with injuries this season, and the Ravens fell to 8–9, missing the postseason. / Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Ravens should trade Lamar Jackson after firing John Harbaugh

I think it’s a mistake that the Ravens decided to fire John Harbaugh when he was the one who helped Lamar Jackson turn into a two-time MVP and developed the proper scheme for his skill set. But it would be an even bigger mistake if Baltimore decided to ignite a complete rebuild by trading Jackson. 

I don’t think that’s the case, because team owner Steve Bisciotti reportedly became frustrated that Harbaugh couldn’t guide this talented group to the Super Bowl. Even coming off a losing season, there’s enough talent on the roster for a quick fix and to reenter the Super Bowl picture in 2026. Frankly, that will be harder without Harbaugh, but the front office apparently believes there’s a coach out there who’s capable of guiding Jackson to the Super Bowl in the immediate future. 

Speculation grew about Jackson’s future with the team after reports emerged about the quarterback’s work habits, and it doesn’t help that the 2018 first-round pick dealt with more injuries this season. 

I do get the concerns about Jackson possibly breaking down sooner rather than later, but Baltimore can protect itself by thinking ahead and drafting a quarterback of the future, à la Jordan Love and the Packers.

Jackson wasn’t the same this season because the hamstring injury took away his mobility, which is vital for his dangerous and unique skill set. Mobile quarterbacks tend to break down more quickly than pocket passers. Still, the Ravens shouldn’t rush to give up on Jackson because he has shown strides as a passer—a lot more than Cam Newton did in his career—and it’s not like Jackson sustained a significant knee injury this season. 

He just turned 29 and is on track to be fully healthy for the start of the offseason program. Talks of breaking up the Ravens seem extremely premature. Maybe more changes are on the horizon after Harbaugh’s dismissal, but it would be a mistake to give up on a roster still good enough to win it all.  

Manzano’s view: Fiction 

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Browns didn’t do enough by just firing Kevin Stefanski 

Andrew Berry was a part of the worst trade and signing in NFL history, but somehow, he wasn’t fired when coach Kevin Stefanski was told to take a hike. 

I’m sure Stefanski had plenty of say in his six seasons in Cleveland, but he wasn’t the GM who did whatever it took to sign Watson, not long after being accused by dozens of women of sexual assault and knowing that a lengthy suspension was coming for the quarterback. (Watson was suspended 11 games for the start of the 2022 season.) Everyone associated with this move should have been fired years ago, but the team has finally acknowledged the mistake of adding Watson, and only Stefanski is paying the price.

Also, Berry just told reporters that he anticipates Watson being on the roster in 2026, another head-scratching move. Sean Payton and the Broncos had no problem ditching Russell Wilson and his sizable contract a few years ago and are now heading into the postseason as the No. 1 seed in the AFC. We’ve known for a long time that the Browns are a joke franchise, but we just keep getting more evidence of that.  

It was laughable hearing team owner Jimmy Haslam list all of Berry’s accomplishments this season as reasons he wasn’t fired, while knowing very well that his team doesn’t even have a franchise quarterback.  

Manzano’s view: Fact

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Next Falcons coach needs to be committed to Michael Penix Jr.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank will likely have a tall task for his next GM and coach after firing Morris and Terry Fontenot. Blank wants to win now, and with the roster the previous regime built.

It’s certainly doable, but there are reasons why Atlanta hasn’t made the postseason in nearly a decade. The Jets told their new decision-makers to make it work with a roster they inherited, but a few months later, they traded Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams.

Fast results usually work when the quarterback is the real deal, and right now it’s not a given that Michael Penix Jr. is fit to be a franchise signal-caller. He struggled in his second season and added to his lengthy injury history after sustaining a significant knee injury in November. 

If Penix Jr. struggles again, the new GM and coach need to have some say and let Blank know he’s not their quarterback. Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon was forced to make it work with Kyler Murray and is now looking for a new job three years later.  

Yes, Blank has invested heavily at the quarterback position by giving Kirk Cousins a four-year, $180 million contract and using the No. 8 pick in 2024 on Penix. But stubbornness to make it work with what has already failed usually doesn’t lead to winning results.  

Manzano’s view: Fiction

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