One of the biggest moves of the offseason was when the New York Giants sent a third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders to land star tight end Darren Waller. His first two full years with the Raiders were impressive as he had 1,145 receiving yards in 2019 and then broke the team’s reception record with 107 catches in 2020.

He landed a three-year contract extension from general manager Dave Ziegler last year, but he fell out of favor with the coaching staff quickly due to injuries. He was limited to just nine games last season with a hamstring injury. He was linked to a number of trade rumors during the season with The Athletic’s Vic Tafur reporting on November 6, 2022, that the Green Bay Packers offered a second-round pick for Waller. The Raiders decided to hang onto him only to trade him in the offseason. For his part, Waller wasn’t too surprised when he got the news that he was traded.

“Not totally shocked,” Waller said of the Raiders trade on the red carpet of his foundation’s event at Aria in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 22, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I had heard some things. There were different moments throughout the year that I heard I may be traded or I may not. So the actual event of it wasn’t too shocking.

“But I didn’t expect it to be the Giants.”

Why Was Darren Waller Traded?

Darren Waller became one of the faces of the Raiders in recent years and quickly immersed himself in the Las Vegas community. He even married Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum shortly before getting sent to New York. There could be many factors as to why he was traded, but he’s not going to overthink it. He’s just ready to move and start the next chapter of his career.

“I’m done questioning God and what he’s trying to do,” Waller said. “He’s gotten me to this point. I know that he’s going to continue to have a plan for me, you know?”

Waller Excited About Joining the New York Giants

There was excitement surrounding the idea of Josh McDaniels being able to utilize Darren Waller at tight end. Under McDaniels, Rob Gronkowski became a future Hall of Famer. However, Waller and Gronkowski have different playing styles. The former is fast and athletic while the latter is big and runs excellent routes. Waller may just not have been a fit with McDaniels, which is why they drafted Michael Mayer in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft to replace him. Regardless, Waller isn’t too upset about having to move. He’s quite excited about joining a Giants team that made the playoffs last season.

“It’s been great,” Waller said. “It’s been a great challenge. I love a good challenge and just forming a new relationship with my teammates. They’re really excited about winning. They’re really solid about doing things the right way and continuing to build a foundation on what they started last year. I’m just excited to be a part of it.”

With New York having a young wide receiver corps without a star, Waller should be a major focal point in the offense this season.

Throughout organized team activities, Brian Hoyer took the first-team reps for the Las Vegas Raiders with Jimmy Garoppolo sitting out due to injury. Garoppolo had foot surgery in March after he failed a physical when he first signed with the team, per a May 25 report from The Athletic’s Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur.

aHoyer has been in the NFL since 2009 and has spent four seasons under Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels when they were both with the New England Patriots. He has mostly been a backup throughout his career outside of the 2014 season where he started 13 games for the Cleveland Browns and the 2015 season where he started nine games for the Houston Texans. After 14 seasons in the NFL, Hoyer was considering walking away from the game this offseason, according to a June 22 column from Tafur and The Athletic.

“Hoyer almost retired, but a year in Las Vegas helping out Garoppolo and O’Connell was too good to pass up,” Tafur wrote. “He is 0-12 in his last 12 starts, but hey, win-loss records are not a quarterback stat. At least, that’s been the popular refrain around these parts. O’Connell is accurate, and the goal is for him to become a long-term backup.”

Could Brian Hoyer Be Week 1 Starter?

In his column, Vic Tafur wrote that “the expectation is that [Jimmy] Garoppolo will be back from foot surgery in time for training camp.” If that ends up being the case, he is the unquestioned starter heading into the 2023 season. However, the Raiders do need to prepare for the worst considering Garoppolo’s injury history. He hasn’t been able to make it through a whole season since 2019.

Chase Garbers and Aidan O’Connell are the only other quarterbacks on the roster outside of Garoppolo and Hoyer, and neither of them has ever taken a snap during an NFL regular season game. Unless the Raiders decided to add another veteran quarterback, Hoyer would be the Week 1 starter if Garoppolo can’t play. He hasn’t won a start since 2016 so it wouldn’t be the ideal situation for Las Vegas.

Brian Hoyer Excited to Play for Las Vegas Raiders

Brian Hoyer has been playing football for a long time now and even won a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots in 2018. As he nears the end of his career, there isn’t much more he can accomplish. So why didn’t he retire already? He was far too excited about the opportunity to come to Las Vegas and play for the Raiders.

“To get to year 15 is something I’m proud of, and obviously with this new opportunity, and this team, and this organization, really to end my career, that’s the way it’s going to be,” Hoyer said during a June 5 “Raiders Roundtable Live Show.” “I’m excited to meet all the guys, it’s obviously a great group, get to work with them every day, and just go out and execute and have fun.”

Hoyer knows Josh McDaniels’ offense well and is ready to help teach it to the players who are new to the team.

“I think that’s part of the role, part of the reason I’m here,” Hoyer said of teaching the offense. “We have a lot of other guys who have played in this system, adding Jakobi Meyers, one of the smartest players I’ve ever played with; he was able to learn it quickly.

“All of us who have played in the system before, it is our responsibility to help those other guys if they have questions or maybe point something out that they’re not noticing. I think that’s part of our role.”

Derek Carr has only been a part of the New Orleans Saints for a short time since signing with them on March 6. In that brief time, he quickly gained the respect and admiration of his new teammates.

Carr spent nine years as the starting quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders but didn’t have much playoff success. The team went to the playoffs twice during his tenure and didn’t win a single game. Las Vegas will be hosting the Super Bowl for the 2023 season, which could offer Carr the perfect chance to get revenge against his old team. Saints star pass rusher Cameron Jordan would like to send his new teammate to his old stadium for the Super Bowl.

“I expect the Super Bowl,” Jordan said on June 19 during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I expect to take Derek Carr, DC4, back to Vegas where he just left and have a return run at the Super Bowl.”

The Saints went 7-10 last season and missed the playoffs with Andy Dalton starting 14 games. Dalton had a passer rating of 95.2 last season, which was better than Carr’s 86.3. Is he good enough to turn the Saints from a non-playoff team to a Super Bowl contender? That will be one of the most interesting storylines to watch this season.

Michael Thomas Praises Derek Carr

Derek Carr was beloved by his teammates on the Raiders but was the fall guy following a disappointing 6-11 season where he was benched following a Week 16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now that Carr is in New Orleans, he has shown he can quickly develop relationships with new plays. Wide receiver Michael Thomas has been impressed with Carr since he joined the team.

“He wants to win just like I want to win,” Thomas said, via a June 9 article from Katherine Terrell of ESPN. “He’s just very disciplined. He’s on top of his stuff. He came here for a reason. That’s the same type of confidence I hear in his voice – he came here for a reason, he came here to win. You can feel the sense of urgency. He loves ball. It’s not hard working with him. … He tells me what to do, I tell him where I’m going to be, and we’re on the same page. We can execute at a high level.”

Cameron Jordan Has High Expectations for New Orleans Saints

The Saints have missed the playoffs in two straight years since quarterback Drew Brees retired. The team hasn’t been back to the Super Bowl since 2009. Despite that Cameron Jordan is confident that the team can go far this year.

“Nobody has ever walked into a season (and) been like, ‘Ooh, I hope we win 10 games,'” Jordan said during the SiriusXM NFL Radio appearance. “No, I’m trying to win each and every game that we play. My expectation is being 21-0, 22-0, whatever it takes to get to a Super Bowl. I want to beat each and every team we line across.

“Every tackle, who I’m never gonna know their names, but like every dud that’s out there, we’re trying to beat the breaks off of them. I’m trying to get to each and every quarterback. The reality is, we have potential. The mentality is, we want to as a defense take over each and every game. And there’s no allowance to be like, ‘Hey, I think we could be a 12-5 team.’ I think we can win each and every one of these things.”

The Las Vegas Raiders are going to have some intriguing roster battles this offseason, but possibly the most interesting to watch will be cornerback. The team moved on from Week 1 starters Rock Ya-Sin and Anthony Averett this offseason, bringing in several new faces, including David Long Jr. and Duke Shelley.

The Raiders also added Jakorian Bennett out of Maryland in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. With so many new faces, some returning players will be fighting for a roster spot. 2020 fourth-round pick Amik Robertson battled last season until he was able to win over the new coaching staff. Despite only being 5-foot-8, he led Raiders cornerbacks with two interceptions last season. However, that may not be enough to keep him on the roster in 2023.

According to their June 20 roster predictions, Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed of The Athletic predict that R0bertson narrowly misses the cut.

“Robertson and [Sam] Webb will both have the chance to fight for a roster spot,” Tafur and Reed wrote. “The 5-foot-8 Robertson was one of the new Raiders brass’ favorite players that they inherited, but his size limitations are tricky and ultimately prove his undoing.”

The Raiders drafted seven players in 2020, but Robertson is the only one who remains on the roster for now.

Las Vegas Raiders Likely to Bring in Veteran CB?

What’s also working against Amik Robertson is that the Raiders may not be done adding cornerbacks. Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur mentioned in their roster predictions that the team is likely to add another veteran cornerback in the coming weeks.

“This list doesn’t include Marcus Peters, or whatever veteran the Raiders ultimately bring in for training camp,” Reed and Tafur wrote.

Reed and Tafur previously reported on June 14 that veteran cornerback Marcus Peters is “likely” to sign with the Raiders. That move has yet to happen, but it’s sounding like the team is aiming to add a veteran cornerback. Peters is a three-time Pro Bowler but has missed 2o combined games over the last two seasons due to injury. If he can stay healthy, he would bring a veteran presence and some ball-hawking ability. He has 32 career interceptions.

CB Named Roster Hole for Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders haven’t had a cornerback make the Pro Bowl since Nnamdi Asomugha in 2010. It’s a position that they have had a difficult time addressing in the draft. D.J. Hayden, Gareon Conley and Damon Arnette were all first-round picks since 2013 and none of them made it to a second contract with the Raiders. Some aren’t buying that the team has done enough to address the position this offseason.

NFL.com’s Kevin Patra put together a list of the 10 biggest roster holes in the NFL on June 20 and listed the Raiders’ cornerbacks at No. 3.

“Surprisingly, Vegas didn’t upgrade the O-line, but the cornerback cupboard is particularly bare,” Patra wrote. “David Long Jr. and Duke Shelley are currently pegged as the outside corners, but neither has been a full-time starter before. Nate Hobbs is a solid nickel. The group lacks a No. 1 and is counting on parts to create a whole. Adding a veteran to solidify the corps should be a priority before the season kicks off.”

The Las Vegas Raiders players are set to have the next month as they await the end of July to start training camp. One of the biggest things to watch in the coming weeks is the health of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He underwent foot surgery soon after the team signed him in March, per a May 25 report from Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed of The Athletic.

If Garoppolo isn’t recovering as quickly as the team hopes, they will need to evaluate their quarterback options. The team is hosting the San Francisco 49ers on August 10 and 11 for a joint training camp practice ahead of their August 13 preseason matchup in Las Vegas. The 49ers have three interesting quarterbacks on the roster in Brock Purdy, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold. Purdy is expected to be the starter going forward and isn’t going anywhere.

Lance, on the other hand, could be on the way out. NFL analyst and former scout John Middlekauff believes that the Raiders could keep a close eye on the former No. 3 overall pick and consider a trade if he looks impressive.

“Jimmy Garoppolo, they’re banking on him being healthy. He can’t even pass a physical in June for the second time in two years,” Middlekauff said on the June 16 episode of “The Colin Cowherd Podcast.” “That could be a disaster. What if [Lance] looks good against the Raiders? … You can’t just be irrelevant in Vegas, and if Jimmy is injured, they have Brian Hoyer. You wouldn’t just trade a [fourth-round pick] to see what you got?”

Sam Darnold Has Edge on Trey Lance: Insider

John Middlekauff does raise an interesting point. The Raiders are going to get a closer look at Trey Lance than any other team outside of San Francisco during training camp. If Las Vegas does see some potential, there’s always a chance to make to look a move. In the meantime, it’s looking like Lance has completely fallen out of favor with the 49ers.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes that Sam Darnold could win the backup role behind Brock Purdy. That would leave Lance on the outside looking in.

“We’ll see how Darnold and Trey Lance do in camp this summer,” Schefter said on the June 21 episode of the “Pat McAfee Show.” “My guess would be Darnold has a chance to really shine and excel, but there’s a lot of preseason football left for those two guys to distinguish himself.”

“Look, Brock Purdy is the one, if healthy,” Schefter later added. “And I think going into camp, Sam Darnold, I think, has the edge going into camp.”

No Trade Interest in Trey Lance?

If the Raiders wanted to trade for Trey Lance, they likely wouldn’t be facing much competition. According to Adam Schefter, the interest around the league in the quarterback is nonexistent.

“There really was never a lot of interest in Trey Lance,” Schefter said during the same appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show.” “… There was no trade market.”

Lance is only 23, but opinions on him appear to be low. That said, he’s still 6-foot-4 with a cannon arm. There could be some potential in there for a coach to unlock. The Raiders don’t have a high-upside quarterback on their roster so adding Lance would be an intriguing project for head coach Josh McDaniels.

Over the past few years, quarterback Derek Carr and tight end Darren Waller were two of the faces of the Las Vegas Raiders. They will now be playing for new teams in 2023. Carr landed with the New Orleans Saints after getting cut by the Raiders in February while Waller was traded to the New York Giants for a 2023 third-round pick.

Despite the fact that the two are no longer on the Raiders, they are still spending some time in Las Vegas. According to a June 21 Instagram photo from Carr, he was working out with Waller in Las Vegas.

Carr and Waller formed a close connection during their times with the Raiders. In 2022, Waller set the franchise record for receptions in a season with 107 catches. Most of those catches came from Carr’s passes. Players don’t have to be close to their teams right now as training camp doesn’t start until the end of July. Many are on vacation ahead of the football season, but Waller and Carr are still putting in work.

Derek Carr & Darren Waller Don’t Plan to Leave Las Vegas

It’s not a surprise to see Carr and Waller in Las Vegas during the offseason. Though they aren’t on the Raiders, they still built homes in Sin City. Carr made a home with his family in the city. He previously said that he could see Las Vegas being where he spends the rest of his life with his family.

“My wife and I never thought this, but we were talking about how we could live here for the rest of our life,” Carr said in a 2021 appearance on “The Cris Collinsworth Podcast.” “We really love the city of Las Vegas because it’s more than the Strip and the partying and all that kind of stuff.

“The family atmosphere that happens around outside of all of that has really been awesome.”

Waller also still has strong ties to the city. His wife Kelsey Plum is a starting guard for the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA. He was recently in attendance for the Aces’ June 18 home match against the Minnesota Lynx. Though it won’t be as easy for him to attend Plum’s games once training camp starts, he’ll still be spending a lot of time in Las Vegas going forward.

Derek Carr Recently Acknowledged Disappointing Season

Derek Carr’s last season with the Raiders didn’t go to plan. After a 2021 playoff run where the team went 10-7, expectations were high for 2022. Carr ended up going 6-9 as a starter and was benched following a Week 16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers where he threw three interceptions. Carr recently acknowledged that his performance wasn’t up to his standard last season.

“I don’t think they got the best version of me,” Carr said during his June 13 media availability. “There was so much going on, and I didn’t really sit down and just make it football again. Football is the ultimate team game. It’s about your teammates, about loving one another, about having each other’s back and making sure there’s a certain level of respect between each other. … I’m just trying to be a better teammate every year.”

There has been no indication that the Las Vegas Raiders and Josh Jacobs are nearing a contract agreement. The star running back is currently on the franchise tag but has yet to sign the tender. He has until July 17 to reach a long-term deal with the team or he’ll have to wait until 2024. If the two sides don’t come to a long-term agreement, the saga won’t be over quite yet.

Jacobs can decide to holdout, which would mean the Raiders wouldn’t pay him the $10.1 million he’s owed on the franchise tag. The NFL’s leading rusher has hinted on Twitter that he might be willing to take a stand for the future of the running back position. He continues to be cryptic on social media. On June 20, he tweeted out a message that simply said, “Bad business.”

It’s not clear what he meant by that, but it’s possible he’s referencing the fact that the Raiders have still not paid him. He certainly has people on his side. Former Raiders offensive guard Richie Incognito, who played with Jacobs his first three years in the NFL from 2019 to 2021, came out and made it clear that he thinks the running back should get paid.

Insider Urges Josh Jacobs to Sign a Deal

Paying running backs has fallen out of fashion in the NFL. Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard and New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley are two other star running backs who are currently on the franchise tag. Pollard has signed his tender, but Barkley has not, which led to him missing organized team activities.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer believes all of these running backs are fighting a losing battle. While he does believe that they should do what they can to get the biggest contract possible, he is urging them to accept whatever deal they can get by July 17.

“The reality of the situation is that all the protesting in the world isn’t going to change any of this, and history hasn’t favored the back who’s gambled on himself,” Breer wrote in a June 19 column. “So, yes, Saquon, Josh and Tony, draw hard lines over the next month. Push your agent to keep pushing the team to make concessions, and sweeten your deal. But don’t do anything to jeopardize the money that you have worked so hard to earn.”

Josh Jacobs Previously Said He’d Be Willing to Play on Franchise Tag

Josh Jacobs has changed his tune in recent weeks. He has never been excited about the idea of playing on the franchise tag, but he did previously say he would be willing to play on it if he thought the Raiders were in a position to win.

“Obviously, I wouldn’t want to get franchise tagged,” Jacobs told Pro Football Talk in a February 9 interview. “But I wouldn’t mind it if they got the right guys in the building around us. [If] they got some guys on defense, figure out the quarterback situation, got some guys up front, then I would be like, ‘OK, I really wouldn’t mind coming back on the franchise tag.’ But if you want me to come back and be the hero, you’ve got to pay me like the hero.”

Either his mindset has changed or he hasn’t been overly impressed with what the team has done this offseason as he appears much less keen to play on the franchise tag now.

With Josh Jacobs not having signed his franchise tag tender yet, the Las Vegas Raiders running back room could be a group to watch. If Jacobs holds out or forces the team to move on, the starting running back job would be up for the taking. Despite Jacobs handling 340 of the team’s 428 rushing attempts, they decided to keep five running backs on the active roster for all of last season.

Jacobs, Ameer Abdullah, Zamir White, Brittain Brown and Brandon Bolden were with the team last year and are still in Las Vegas. However, it will be difficult for the Raiders to justify keeping five running backs again if Jacobs does end up staying put. In their June 20 roster predictions, Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed of The Athletic predict that Bolden ends up being the odd man out.

“The Raiders kept five running backs last year, but it proved to be a pretty unnecessary luxury as Jacobs took the lion’s share of the snaps and touches,” Tafur and Reed wrote. “Because he likely isn’t going anywhere even though he hasn’t signed his franchise tag, that’s a mistake they probably won’t make again. [Zamir] White and [Brittain] Brown are more confident now that they have another year under their belt and, while Bolden is a favorite among the coaching staff and locker room, it’s hard to justify giving him a roster spot.”

Brandon Bolden Didn’t Make Big Impact Last Season

Brandon Bolden joined the Raiders offseason on a two-year contract. He has spent nine of his 10 seasons under Josh McDaniels. Eight of those came across two stints when McDaniels was the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots. He has a deep understanding of the offense but didn’t have much of a role last season.

According to Sports Reference, Bolden played just 82 offensive snaps, which accounted for 8% of the team’s offensive snaps. He was much more involved on special teams where he played in 60% of those snaps. Bolden was previously a focal point of McDaniels’ offenses in New England and had 41 receptions in 2021. However, Ameer Abdullah appears to have won over the coaching staff as he played in 16% of the Raiders’ offensive snaps last season and he’s under contract for 2023. The two veteran running backs serve similar roles so one of them is likely to get cut. Based on the snap count disparity from last season, Bolden is the most likely to be released.

Ameer Abdullah Talks Role on Offense

Ameer Abdullah was brought in by the Raiders last offseason and he quickly gain favor with the coaching staff. His ability in the passing game cemented him as the team’s third-down running back last year. If Josh Jacobs is back this season, he’ll be on the field at running back the majority of the time for the offense, but it remains important to have a capable third-down running back in Josh McDaniels’ offense.

Abdullah doesn’t take offense to getting the majority of his snaps on third down as he believes it’s a very important role to have in the NFL.

“I mean third down is important in this league, and whatever I’m asked to do, I’m going to try to do my best at it whether it’s third down, first down, no matter what,” Abdullah said during his June 9 media availability, via Sports Illustrated. “But yes, third downs are very important in this league.”

Maxx Crosby knows how to keep himself busy in the offseason. The Las Vegas Raiders defensive end married longtime girlfriend Rachel Washburn on March 4 and continues to be hard at work getting ready for the 2023 season.

The Raiders finished up organized team activities on June 15 and players won’t have to report back to the team until training camp. Las Vegas hasn’t announced when training camp starts, but it typically happens at the end of July. In the meantime, Crosby did something for himself during the off time. The Pro Bowl defensive end showed off an extensive new torso tattoo in a June 18 tweet.

The new tattoo covers his entire torso and features pictures of his daughter Ella Rose, former Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and legendary boxer Muhammad Ali. The tattoo also features the phrase “Be Legendary.”

According to a June 20 report from TMZ, Andres Ortega at Onder Ink is the tattoo artist who did the piece for Crosby. Ortega told TMZ that it took 11 hours to finish the tattoo.

Maxx Crosby Looking to Build Off of Strong Season

Maxx Crosby has had a meteoric rise since he was a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft. He quickly became an impact player for the Raiders as a rookie and 10.0 sacks. He continues to improve and had 12.5 sacks while leading the NFL with 22 tackles for loss. However, he is not content with where he is right now.

Not only is he focusing on improving his own play, but he’s also working hard to be a veteran leader for the young players.

“That’s what I want to be,” Crosby said during his May 25 media availability, “a great veteran for all the young guys and just have them come to me if they need anything.

“I do everything I can to put myself in the best position to help this team, be the best leader I can be and be the best player down to down in the National Football League. … I try to show my teammates what that looks like every single day. Even when the rookies came in, I told them, ‘Just follow me every single day. If you want to continue building your career, follow me.’ I’m going to do it the right way.”

Tyree Wilson Excited to Work With Maxx Crosby

Maxx Crosby is no longer the young player who is looking to learn from veterans. He is the leader and best player on the Raiders defense. The team gave him an exciting, young running mate in this year’s draft. With the No. 7 overall pick, Las Vegas took defensive end Tyree Wilson out of Texas Tech. Wilson is still recovering from offseason foot surgery, but he can’t wait to get on the field with Crosby.

“When I was eating breakfast, Maxx came through and I chopped it up with him a little bit,” Wilson said, via a June 1 story from ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez. “I’m excited to be his teammate and get to learn and work with him.

“I’ve been watching him for a while. He’s a great pass-rusher, dominant and a disruptive player that’s going to be relentless all over the field. That’s what I try to have my game at – be relentless and disruptive.”

With the 2023 NBA Draft closing in on June 22, trade rumors continue to heat up. It has been a relatively quiet trade season for the Los Angeles Lakers, but they are in a position to make a deal if the right one is presented.

There are superstar players who could potentially be available like Chris Paul or Kyrie Irving. If the Lakers prefer to build out the depth on the roster over adding a third superstar next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Detroit Pistons could be a team worth reaching out to.

In a Bleacher Report video titled “Should Pistons Trade for Malik Beasley?,” Ku Khahil pitched a deal that sends Beasley and the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft for veteran forward Bojan Bogdanovic. He’s quite confident this deal will actually happen.

“Out of all the trades I have on here, I think is the most likely one,” Khahil said. “I could really see both teams wanting to do this. … I’ll be honest, I would not be shocked if this trade happened on draft night.”

Bojan Bogdanovic Was Linked to Los Angeles Lakers Trade During Season

This is not the first time the Lakers have been linked to Bojan Bogdanovic. The team was heavily involved in trade rumors surrounding the forward during last season. According to a January 23 report from The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, Bogdanovic was the top name linked to Los Angeles prior to the trade deadline.

“Detroit’s Bojan Bogdanovic continues to be the name most often tied to the Lakers in league circles,” Buha wrote at the time.

The Lakers ended up deciding to do a three-team deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz that brought Malik Beasley, D’Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt to Los Angeles. While Russell and Vanderbilt were important pieces during the playoff run, Beasley fell out of the rotation. He didn’t play more than 15 minutes in a single playoff game and didn’t even see the court in four games. Bogdanovic has made 38.2% of his 3-point shots in the playoffs and has averaged 31.1 minutes played a game in 47 career playoff games.

Los Angeles Lakers Not Expected to Make Splashy Moves

The Lakers could decide to take a big swing this offseason and add another superstar, but they tried that in 2021 with the Russell Westbrook trade. That move didn’t work out as the team missed the playoffs in Westbrook’s first year and then was traded during his second season.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers plan to have a more subtle approach this offseason.

“There’s no big game hunting out there for this Laker organization,” Wojnarowski said on a June 16 episode of ESPN’s “Get Up.” “In this league right now, with a new collective bargaining agreement, you can’t really pay three max superstars and expect to have any depth on your roster. It’s going to look a lot the same, but think about a team next year that goes the entire season with [Rui] Hachimura, with [Austin] Reaves as your starter. They’ve got a chance to be very, very competitive in the West.”

It’s possible they would consider adding a player like Chris Paul, but it would have to come at a discount as the team is committed to building out its depth.

The Las Vegas Raiders are nearing a point where they will need to make a decision on running back Josh Jacobs. The team used the franchise tag on the 2022 Pro Bowler, but he has yet to sign the tender. He has until July 17 to reach a long-term deal with Las Vegas or he’s going to have to wait until 2024 to reopen contract negotiations.

If the two sides aren’t going to come to a long-term deal this offseason, Jacobs can either choose to play on the franchise tag tender, or the team can rescind it and allow him to test free agency. While the latter option is unlikely, Cody Benjamin pitched a scenario in a June 19 column for CBS Sports that would see Jacobs hit free agency and sign a three-year, $39 million contract with the Denver Broncos.

“We doubt the Raiders would prefer to trade their franchise player inside the division, but Denver’s new coach, Sean Payton, gushed about Jacobs earlier this offseason, paid decent money for starting RBs in New Orleans, and could use downhill insurance as Javonte Williams returns from injury, with newcomer Samaje Perine better suited for No. 2 duties,” Benjamin wrote. “Las Vegas could simply rescind the franchise tag if it knows Jacobs is committed to netting a bigger deal elsewhere, allowing the Raiders’ quasi-Patriots regime to save an instant $10M and revert to a RB-by-committee approach.”

What Sean Payton Said About Josh Jacobs

Javonte Williams impressed the Broncos during his rookie year in 2021 when he rushed for 903 yards and four touchdowns. Expectations were high for him in 2022, but he was limited to just four games after suffering tears to the ACL, LCL and posterolateral corner. Sean Payton is new to the team this year and has no allegiance to players from the previous coaching staff.

Josh Jacobs was the NFL’s leading rusher last year with 1,653 yards and could be the focal point for a Broncos offense that finished 21st in the league with 113.8 rushing yards per game last season. Payton even hinted after he took the head coaching job that he would have some interest in Jacobs.

“He was outstanding this year,” Payton said on a February 9 episode of “Up & Adams.” “A downhill, physical runner. For a team that wasn’t necessarily always having success, he was always consistently playing well. I’m glad he’s a free agent. I encourage everyone to look at him, get him out of the [AFC] West.

“Maybe we look at him.”

Why Wouldn’t the Las Vegas Raiders Trade Josh Jacobs Instead?

Players on the franchise tag can be traded. Just last year, the Raiders traded a first and second-round pick to the Green Bay Packers for star wide receiver Davante Adams while he was on the franchise tag. Now, star wide receivers have proven to be more valuable than running backs on the open market in recent years. The Raiders wouldn’t be looking at a huge haul if they traded Jacobs.

That said, he does have value. As noted previously, he led the NFL in rushing last year. He’s also just 25 years old. In a June 15 column for Bleacher Report, Maurice Moton stated that Jacobs would be worth at least a second-round pick in a trade. If the Raiders decided to go the route of trading him, they would likely be able to find some value considering teams wouldn’t have to take on a long-term contract that has already been signed.

As of June 15, every team in the NFL has wrapped up organized team activities. The next time all the players and coaches will be back on the field together is training camp. With OTAs in the rearview mirror, teams now have a better idea of what their needs are ahead of training camp.

The Pittsburgh Steelers decided they needed to add a linebacker. According to 93.7 The Fan’s Colin Dunlap, the team is signing veteran linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski.

Kwiatkoski was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, so joining the Steelers will be a homecoming. He originally came into the NFL as a fourth-round pick of the Chicago Bears. After four years as a part-time starter and depth piece, he joined the Las Vegas Raiders on a three-year, $21 million contract to be a full-time starter. He started all 12 games he played in 2020 but lost his starting job in 2021. The Raiders let him go after the 2021 season and he signed with the Atlanta Falcons. He played in 12 games last season and recorded just seven combined tackles. He had a hard time carving out a role on the defense last season. He’ll face an uphill battle trying to make the Steelers roster.

Las Vegas Raiders’ Divine Deablo Talks Injury Last Season

The Raiders have cycled through many linebackers throughout the past decade, but haven’t found many long-term options. The team added Divine Deablo in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft and he earned a starting role in just his second season. He started eight games before an injury knocked him out for the season. Deablo recently had a chance to give some insight into the injury.

“I didn’t think my arm was broken,” Deablo said during his June 6 media availability. “The X-ray came and it turned out to be broken. Of course, I was down, I was sad … I knew I was going to miss the rest of the season, but I saw it as an opportunity.

“I just studied the game; I worked harder and this offseason I stayed here the whole time just in hopes that it will work out on the field.”

Josh McDaniels a Fan of Divine Deablo

Deablo was part of former Raiders general manager Mike Mayock’s last draft class. Despite the fact that he wasn’t one of current general manager Dave Ziegler’s, he has quickly earned the respect of the front office and coaching staff. Head coach Josh McDaniels had high praise for the 24-year-old linebacker.

“I’m really fond of Divine,” McDaniels said during his June 6 media availability. “I think he knows that, and we’ve given them a lot of responsibility. … Divine has grown literally every week since I’ve seen him and known him. He works really hard at the game of football. I think he’s embraced this year as a year that is a growth year for him, not only on the field in terms of what he does on the field, but also how he can impact others.”

The Raiders didn’t make any splashy moves at linebacker this offseason so they are relying heavily on Deablo to take a leap in Year 3. He has been wearing the green dot in practice and leading the defense, which is a sign that the coaching staff trusts him.

Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Lou Williams has announced his retirement from the NBA. The veteran of 17 seasons made the announcement in a June 18 Instagram post.

Williams has been a staple as one of the premier sixth men in the NBA. He was named Sixth Man of the Year in 2015, 2018 and 2019. Williams bounced around a few teams throughout his career. He originally joined the Philadelphia 76ers in 2005 as a second-round pick out of South Gwinnett high school in Snellville, Georgia.

Prior to his retirement, he was one of only two remaining players in the NBA that joined straight out of high school along with LeBron James. Williams barely made the cut as the league stopped allowing high school players to enter the draft in 2006. After seven seasons with Philadelphia, he signed with the Atlanta Hawks where he spent two seasons before landing with the Toronto Raptors in 2014. That’s where he won his first Sixth Man of the Year award following a season where he averaged 15.5 points a game.

Williams then moved on to the Lakers but lasted less than two seasons before getting traded to the Houston Rockets. He made his way back to Los Angeles to play for the Clippers. That’s where he had the most success. In four seasons with the Clippers, he averaged 19.1 points a game and won two Sixth Man of the Year awards. He eventually returned to the Hawks, but couldn’t find a team to sign him last season. At 36 years old, he finally decided it was time to call it a career.

Lou Williams Is All-Time Leading Bench Scorer

Williams was never the biggest name in the NBA and never made an All-Star team. Despite that, his name will be in the history books. The 13,396 career points he scored off the bench are more than any player in league history. Only 2,197 of his 15,593 career points came when he was a starter.

Williams has a 2,117-point lead over Jamal Crawford, who is the second-highest-scoring bench player ever. Former Lakers teammate and current Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson is now the active leader in bench scoring with 6,973 points. He has a long way to go if he’s going to catch Williams before he retires.

Los Angeles Lakers Send Lou Williams Retirement Message

Williams didn’t spend a long time with the Lakers. He only played in 125 games with the team. He’ll always be remembered as a member of the team despite his brief stint due to the fact that he played with the late Kobe Bryant during his final season. The Lakers made sure to send Williams a message following the retirement announcement.

Williams was on the court during Bryant’s final game against Utah Jazz that the Lakers won 101-96 after the Hall of Famer put up 60 points. In a 2020 interview with ESPN, Williams discussed what it was like being a part of that game.

“What stands out was the mix between I’m gonna win this basketball game and he was really on top of the world,” Williams said. “He was having a ball and you can see it. Him winking at his family, him interacting with his family and friends. You know this one game, if you play for the Lakers, you have this thing called celebrity row. Well, we had a celebrity arena that night. Everybody was there. You had Kanye West and Jay-Z and all of these guys. Some of these celebrities were sitting on regular seats. This was a must-see game. And he went out there and put 60 on the board. And it was a comeback win.”

Jimmy Garoppolo was around the Las Vegas Raiders during organized team activities, but he wasn’t on the field due to an injury. The veteran quarterback underwent surgery to repair his injured foot after he signed with the in March, according to a May 25 report from The Athletic’s Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network later reported on June 6 that Garoppolo is expected to be back in time for training camp. There has been no word of any setback, but this latest injury issue has led to speculation that the quarterback won’t be in Las Vegas very long. In a June 17 column for Bleacher Report about which top quarterbacks are “most likely to change teams” after the 2023 NFL season, Kristopher Knox listed Garoppolo.

“While Garoppolo is expected to be the Week 1 starter, there’s no guarantee that he’ll be or stay healthy this season. That could leave Las Vegas relying on Brian Hoyer or rookie Aidan O’Connell and perhaps stumbling into a top 2024 draft pick,” Knox wrote.

“If the Raiders do end up in a position to draft a QB prospect like Drake Maye or Caleb Williams, Garoppolo could be on the way out. Las Vegas could release him next offseason and save $13 million off the 2024 cap.”

Jimmy Garoppolo Has Extensive Injury History

Injuries are part of the game in the NFL, but Garoppolo’s history is something for the Raiders to keep in mind. He became a full-time starter with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017. Since then, he has played every game in a season just once in 2019. That was the season he led the team to a Super Bowl appearance against the Kansas City Chiefs. Though the 49ers lost the game, Garoppolo proved he can lead a team far if he’s able to stay healthy.

However, he has missed 18 regular season games with injury since that season, including six games last year. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported on May 27 that the Raiders put a clause in his contract that would allow the Raiders to cut him without penalty if he’s unable to pass a physical by the start of the 2023 season. As previously noted, the team does not expect that to be an issue.

Las Vegas Raiders’ Plan at Quarterback

With Garoppolo hurt, veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer took all of the first-team reps during OTAs. Hoyer worked with Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels when he was the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots in 2017 and 2018 and then again from 2020 to 2021. He knows the system well and will bring valuable insight to the offense. That said, he has won a start since the 2016 season. He’s 37 now and has only started more than 10 games once in a season back in 2014 with the Cleveland Browns.

The other quarterbacks on the roster are rookie fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell and 2022 undrafted free agent signing Chase Garbers. Neither has ever taken an NFL snap. The Raiders are relying heavily on Garoppolo getting healthy. If training camp arrives and he’s still not healthy, the team could look at some veterans in the free agent market like Carson Wentz or Teddy Bridgewater. The fact that the Raiders haven’t made any recent moves at quarterback is a positive sign that Garoppolo will be healthy.

With the Las Vegas Raiders wrapping up organized team activities on June 15, the coaching staff has gotten its best look yet at the new roster. Cornerback was a concern heading into OTAs and it appears to still be a position they hope to address. The Athletic’s Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed reported on June 14 that the team was “likely” to sign free agent cornerback Marcus Peters.

Peters is a three-time Pro Bowler and most recently played for the Baltimore Ravens. He’s the biggest name cornerback left on the market. While The Athletic is reporting that a deal is likely, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal threw some cold water on the idea in a June 16 mailbag. He does believe the Raiders are in the mix but nothing is imminent quite yet.

“Now that OTAs are over, the sense is the Raiders will take a long, hard look at whether to bring in Peters. That includes evaluating where he is at this point in his career. He’s now nearly two years removed from the knee injury he suffered that cost him the entire 2021 season,” Bonsignore wrote.

“Hard to classify this as a for-sure signing, but at the end of the day this feels like a logical fit. The educated guess is 60/40 the Raiders sign him.”

Marcus Peters Is a Las Vegas Raiders Fan at Heart

Peters was born and raised in Oakland, California, where the Raiders played from 1960 to 1981 then again from 1995 to 2019. The Raiders were the team he grew up watching, but he was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2015. The Raiders and Chiefs have a rivalry that dates back to the former team’s creation in 1960.

The two teams share a division and play each other twice a year. That was tough for Peters at first as he grew up a big fan of the Raiders.

“It’s going to be real special because I’m a Raiders fan at heart, but I’m a Chief now,” Peters said in a 2015 interview with The Mercury News when he was about to play his first NFL game in the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum during his rookie year.

In Peters’ first professional game in Oakland, he had six tackles and an interception en route to a 34-20 win. His love for the Raiders didn’t affect his play on the field. All these years later, he has the chance to play for the team he grew up loving.

Tyler Hall Named Among Best Slot Cornerbacks

Peters is an experienced cornerback who could provide a boost to the Raiders’ secondary, but there are some well-regarded players already part of the group. With cornerback Nate Hobbs asked to play more snaps on the outside last season, the team enlisted Tyler Hall to take many of the snaps at slot cornerback. Braxton Howard of Pro Football Focus was impressed with Hall last season and ranked him as the third-best slot corner in the NFL based on passer rating allowed in a June 16 column.

“Hall was an undrafted free agent in 2020 and hasn’t really found a steady place to call home since. However, that may have changed, as he had a silent breakout year in Las Vegas with an 86.9 PFF grade last season on 218 snaps. He didn’t appear in a game until Week 11, but his snap count picked up steam from that point forward,” Howard wrote.

“Hall performed phenomenally against San Francisco in Week 17, as he was targeted twice and broke up both passes. That led him to a career-high 90.4 coverage grade, which is elite. On the season, Hall allowed under 50 yards in coverage while breaking up four passes and not giving up a single touchdown. The Raiders may have found their new slot corner as Nate Hobbs transitions to the outside.”

The Las Vegas Raiders officially wrapped up organized team activities on June 15 but there was no sign of star running back Josh Jacobs. The team placed the franchise tag on the NFL’s leading rusher from last season and he has yet to sign the tender. Without signing the tender, Jacobs is actually not allowed at the team facilities.

The running back has hinted on Twitter that he may be wanting to take a stand for future backs, which could mean he’s not going to play on the franchise tag. He has until July 17 to sign his tender and reach a long-term deal. If the two sides can’t come to an agreement, the Raiders will have to find a solution. According to Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton, that solution could be a trade to the Los Angeles Rams. In a June 15 column, Moton pitched a trade that sends Jacobs to the Rams for a 2024 second-round pick.

“The Raiders may choose to pivot from their lead rusher,” Moton wrote. “They selected Zamir White in the fourth round of last year’s draft. If the coaching staff thinks the second-year ball-carrier can provide 75 percent of Jacobs’ production while under contract for less than $1.1 million, Vegas may place its top running back on the trade block.

“In the event that Jacobs wants to move on, the Rams may become a viable suitor. They can restructure Aaron Donald’s contract to save $20.5 million and fit Jacobs’ new deal under the cap.”

What Happens if Josh Jacobs Doesn’t Sign the Franchise Tag?

July 17 is the date to keep an eye on for players on the franchise tag. However, if Jacobs doesn’t come to an agreement with the Raiders by that point, he’s not going to be free to sign with any team. According to former NFL Joel Corry in a March 9 column for CBS Sports, league rules state that once the July 17 deadline passes, players on the franchise tag will not be able to negotiate a long-term deal with their team until the end of the regular season on January 7, 2024.

If Jacobs doesn’t reach a long-term deal with the Raiders, the next date to watch is November 14 in 2023, which would be Week 10 of the regular season. That is the last day he’d be able to sign the franchise tag tender. If he still refuses to sign it, he will not be allowed to play for the remainder of the 2023 season. He would be giving up $10.1 million in salary if he decided to take that route, per Spotrac.

Josh McDaniels Is a Big Fan of Josh Jacobs

The Raiders had a disappointing year last season and went 6-11 after reaching the playoffs in 2021. One of the few bright spots for the team was Jacobs, who led the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards. Though he hasn’t been at practice, head coach Josh McDaniels recently made it clear how much he values the Pro Bowl running back.

“The deadline [for a long-term deal] is not until July,” McDaniels said during his June 6 media availability. “I respect everything about that process. This is not the first time that’s happened in terms of me being a part of that. Like I said, I stand by what I said before — love the kid, love the player, love the person. Look forward to when I see him.”

In his short time with the New Orleans Saints, Derek Carr is having quite an impact on the team. On June 15, the team announced that they have signed former Las Vegas Raiders third-round pick Lynn Bowden.

With the Bowden signing, the Saints have now signed five former Raiders who played with Carr.

Tight end Foster Moreau, safety Johnathan Abram and wide receiver Bryan Edwards were also signed by New Orleans this offseason. That’s not to mention former Raiders head coach Dennis Allen is the current Saints head coach, and the team recently brought in Jon Gruden as a consultant. The only aforementioned player that Allen coached previously was Carr when he was a rookie in 2014. The coach only lasted four games with the quarterback as he was fired following a winless start.

Lynn Bowden Never Played a Snap for the Las Vegas Raiders

Bowden was a member of the Raiders in 2020 when the team selected him as a third-round pick. However, he never ended up playing a snap for the team. Bowden was technically a wide receiver at Kentucky but was moved to quarterback as a junior. He only threw 74 passes in 13 games as the team used him more as a runner. During his junior season, he rushed for 1,468 yards. The Raiders saw that and believed they could transition him to running back.

Las Vegas decided to trade Bowden to the Miami Dolphins for a fourth-round pick prior to the start of the 2020 season. General manager at the time Mike Mayock admitted that it was a mistake trying to transition him from wide receiver to running back. He decided to cut his losses early.

“He was not able to play today at the level expected and because of that, we felt like we had to make a move,” Mayock said of Bowden during a June 6, 2020, press conference. “And, again, it’s 100% on me.”

Since getting traded by the Raiders, Bowden saw his most significant playing time with the Dolphins. He played in 10 games and had 28 catches for 211 yards. He spent some time with the New England Patriots last season where he played in one game but didn’t record any stats.

Derek Carr Impressed With Alvin Kamara

After nine years with the Raiders, Carr has moved on and is embracing his new home. He’s going to have some dynamic pieces to work with on offense. One of the players he’s excited to work with is Alvin Kamara. The five-time Pro Bowler is already impressing Carr throughout organized team activities.

“I just absolutely love him. Great teammate, great energy about him, and very explosive. He’s so smooth on film, you really just don’t know how good he is — obviously you see the film, but then when you get in person, he ran a couple routes where I looked at Jake today like, ‘That’s not normal,’” Carr said during his June 13 media availability. “Being around him just for a little bit in the building, people don’t know how smart he is at football, he knows what to see, he knows what route to run, he knows how to use his help, that combined with his athletic ability, you see why he’s had that production.”

After nine years with the Las Vegas Raiders, Derek Carr is now a member of the New Orleans Saints. When Carr signed a three-year contract extension with the Raiders in April of 2022, things weren’t expected to sour so quickly. In his first year under head coach Josh McDaniels, he had a passer rating of 86.3, which was the lowest since his rookie year (76.6).

He also tied a career-high of 14 interceptions. This led to him getting benched in favor of Jarrett Stidham following a Week 16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in which he threw three interceptions. Expectations were high for Carr in 2022 following the Raiders’ offseason trade for star wide receiver Davante Adams. He wasn’t able to reach those expectations and he understands that. Carr admitted that he wasn’t playing up to his standard last season.

“They just didn’t get my best and that drove me crazy at the end of the year because I felt so spread out in so many different ways,” Carr said during his June 13 media availability. “I just didn’t feel like myself and I feel bad for the (Raiders) coaches and players.”

Why Did Derek Carr Struggle in 2022?

Opinions were high regarding Carr following the 2021 season. He helped lead the Raiders to a playoff berth that required them to win four straight games to end the year. Owner Mark Davis decided to replace interim head coach Rich Bisaccia with Josh McDaniels, who almost completely reworked the coaching staff. The Raiders were 6-9 before Carr was benched and lost the following two games with Stidham at the helm.

The quarterback and McDaniels haven’t directly addressed where things went wrong but David Carr, Derek Carr’s brother, has given some insight. According to him, the two just had different styles and saw the game of football differently.

“I think the issue with Derek and Josh was that there was always a bit of head-butting going on because they were different styles,” Carr said on a March 13 episode of “NFL Total Access.”

Carr had spent the previous four years with Jon Gruden, who likes to have his quarterback exercise a lot of control over the offense. McDaniels prefers to have things more scripted. That difference in philosophy proved too big for the two sides to work it out.

Derek Carr Hoping to Return to Form in New Orleans

Carr had previously stated in a June 15, 2021, press conference that he would sooner “quit” football than play for a team other than the Raiders. Two years made quite a difference for him. Things didn’t end how he would’ve liked in Las Vegas and the Saints are providing a fresh start. They even brought in Jon Gruden to give some ideas for the offense to help make Carr more comfortable. He’s hoping to bounce back in a big way this season now that he’s in New Orleans.

“I’ve tried my best to get back to that. Hopefully, it leads to some success,” Carr said. “It’s going to be a great lesson for me to learn to help some guys down the road when they go through a coaching change or a shift in whatever they’re doing.”

The NBA offseason is officially here and rumors are starting to heat up. The Los Angeles Lakers are a team that is frequently involved in rumors and that hasn’t been any different this offseason. One name that hasn’t been mentioned much as a possible target for the team is Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden.

The 10-time All-Star has a player option on his contract, but according to a May 17 report from Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, Harden intends to decline the option and hit free agency. If that report comes to fruition, he’ll be free to sign with whatever team he wants. Former NBA big man and LeBron James teammate on the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015 Kendrick Perkins is predicting Harden to sign with the Lakers this offseason.

“Harden to the Lakers makes all the sense in the world,” Perkins said on the June 14 episode of ESPN’s “NBA Today.” “He has shown that he’s able to transition to the PG position, we saw how well him and Embiid worked in the pick-and-roll. Imagine him and Anthony Davis in the pick-and-roll. Imagine him taking pressure off of LeBron James as far as being the ball handler. I think it would be a match made in heaven.”

James Harden is a Los Angeles Native

Harden coming to the Lakers hasn’t been talked about as much throughout his career despite the fact that he is from Bellflower, California, which is a city located in southeast Los Angeles. The 2018 MVP coming to the Lakers would be a homecoming.

Unlike fellow Los Angeles natives in the NBA like Russell Westbrook and Demar DeRozan, Harden has never expressed interest in returning home to play for the Lakers in the media. In fact, he has shown more interest in returning to Houston. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on May 19 that the Rockets and Harden have a “mutual” interest in reuniting. The 33-year-old guard spent nine seasons in Houston from 2012 to 2020 and it’s where he won his MVP. He also won three NBA scoring titles while he was with the Rockets. Returning to the team where he became a superstar could be more appealing to him than returning him.

Los Angeles Lakers Were Named ‘Surprise’ Landing Spot for James Harden

While Harden to the Lakers hasn’t been talked about much, Perkins isn’t the first to bring it up as an idea. Back in a May 24 column for Bleacher Report, Greg Swartz listed the Lakers as a “surprise” landing spot for the veteran guard.

“What about a team that just reached the conference finals, has an opening at point guard and the possibility to carve out roughly $30 million in cap space?” Swartz wrote.

“The Lakers actually make a lot of sense for Harden, especially if Kyrie Irving re-signs with the Dallas Mavericks and L.A. has already seen enough out of D’Angelo Russell.”

In order to afford Harden, the Lakers would likely need to move on from Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley and Mo Bamba. The team would have a difficult time finding depth on the roster but a trio of Harden, LeBron James and Anthony Davis would be one of the most exciting in the NBA.

Jon Gruden is slowly working his way back into football. The former head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders recently made an appearance at organized team activities for the New Orleans Saints to help the team’s offense as they transition to quarterback Derek Carr, who played under the coach for four seasons with the Raiders.

Carr isn’t the only quarterback Gruden has worked with this offseason. According to a June 14 tweet from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, free agent quarterback Carson Wentz is in Tampa Bay, Florida, working with the coach. They have been studying film and throwing as Wentz has an eye toward joining an NFL team.

Wentz is coming off a season with the Washington Commanders where he threw a career-low 11 touchdowns to nine interceptions. He opened the season as the starting quarterback for the team but was placed on Injured Reserve after fracturing the ring finger on his throwing hand during a Week 6 win over the Chicago Bears. By the time Wentz returned on December 12, 2022, the starting quarterback job was taken over by Taylor Heinicke. Wentz regained the starting quarterback job in Week 17 against the Cleveland Browns but threw three interceptions in a 24-10 loss. He was subsequently benched once again for the final game of the season.

Carson Wentz Has Struggled in Recent Years

Despite the poor showing with the Commanders in 2022, Wentz has put together productive seasons in the past. When he was still with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017, he threw for 33 touchdowns to just seven interceptions and finished third in MVP voting for the season. He may have even won the award if it weren’t for him tearing his ACL in a Week 14 game against the Los Angeles Rams.

However, he hasn’t been able to recapture the magic of that season. The Eagles eventually soured on the No. 2 pick from the 2016 NFL Draft class. In 2018, he was still top-10 in pass rating (102.2) and was 13th (92.1) in 2019. Things really started to get off the track in 2020. The Eagles went 3-8-1 with Wentz as the starter and he was benched for Jalen Hurts. Even though he only played in 12 games that season, he was tied with former Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock for the league lead in interceptions with 15.

Following the season, Wentz was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 first-round pick. He lasted one season with the team after missing the playoffs and was traded to the Commanders during the 2022 offseason.

Can Jon Gruden Help Carson Wentz?

Jon Gruden has been considered a quarterback guru since he helped turn Rich Gannon from an NFL journeyman to a Pro Bowler when they were both with the Raiders from 1999 to 2001. This led to him starting the ESPN show “Gruden’s QB Camp” in 2010 where he would where he would work with young quarterbacks who were coming into the NFL.

Though Gruden could only muster a 22-31 record during his second stint as head coach of the Raiders from 2018 to 2022, he has remained a respected mind when it comes to quarterbacks. Derek Carr recently said during his June 6 media availability for the Saints that he played his best football when Gruden was coaching him. Wentz is coming off his worst season as a professional quarterback so going back to the basics with the veteran coach could be what he needs to return to playing good football.

On an uncharacteristically gloomy day in sunny Los Angeles, California, some of the biggest heavy hitters in the entertainment and sports worlds gather on a small film set. However, they aren’t filming the latest blockbuster movie. They are here to simply talk.

“The Shop,” which premiered in 2018, has provided a platform for celebrities, athletes, activists and many more to discuss whatever topics they’d like without the weight of a script or talking points. For the season six finale of the show, there was no shortage of star power. Los Angeles Clippers head coach Ty Lue, 12-time NBA All-Star guard Chris Paul, Academy Award-nominated actor Lakieth Stanfield and Grammy-winning rapper and activist Killer Mike would likely not all find themselves in a room together under normal circumstances but “The Shop” allows some of the planet’s most famous faces the opportunity to have conversations together.

A conversation isn’t always the easiest thing to start, but hosts Paul Rivera, who co-created “The Shop,” and Maverick Carter, CEO of The SpringHill Company, get things going before letting their guests run with whatever topics interest them. It didn’t take long for the conversation to take an unexpected political turn.

Memphis Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant has been in the news lately after a second incident where he flashed what appeared to be a firearm on Instagram Live on May 14. This was following a March 4 incident where he was seen holding a firearm at a Denver area nightclub that led to him missing eight games due to suspension. The NBA is currently weighing a punishment for him and that has driven much of the conversation.

“I’m a gun guy, I’m very pro [second amendment],” Killer Mike said.

Addressing one of the country’s most controversial issues, the rapper got into the importance of boys understanding and respecting guns when they’re young, so the weapon doesn’t seem so exciting once they get older.

It is not uncommon for modern political debate shows to break out in a discourse over gun control in America. That’s not what happens on “The Shop.” Instead of a fiery debate breaking out among the guests, Stanfield digs deeper into what Killer Mike is saying.

“I think we should be instilling within our youth what education is … yielding these tools that can be so devastating or could save your family,” he said.

This is just one of the many examples of how “The Shop” has evolved into much more than public expectations when it first premiered.

More Than a Sports Show

“That’s not an idea. That’s just a fact,” producer and director of photography Brandon Riley told Heavy when asked about the idea that “The Shop” is more than just a sports show.

UNINTERRUPTED, the brand associated with “The Shop,” has had a slogan for years that states, “I am more than an athlete.” Over the years, “The Shop” has been widely considered among other sports shows due to its close ties to Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who is an executive producer and frequent guest. However, the show has had many guests that don’t exist in the sports world and the conversations aren’t always about sports.

Co-creator of “The Shop” Paul Rivera has never looked at it as simply sports. The goal was to create a space for people to share their beliefs without risk of judgment.

“The Holy Grail is those conversations,” Rivera said of the gun conversation with Killer Mike. “Having a safe space, a space where everyone’s respected. A space where someone can give an opinion that’s not a popular one, and be given the room to be able to contextualize why they feel like that and what their experiences are. Hopefully, we all learn from that. I don’t have to agree with every thought every guest has, but my hope is that I can learn and take something away from them, or at least have perspective on why they see the world the way they do.”

One of the big factors that helps drive the conversation is the setting. The set gets cleared out during filming and there are only a few camera operators left to watch the action in person.

“It gives you the feeling like you had a barbershop,” Paul told Heavy. “You know what I mean? And I think you get an opportunity to marry people from different worlds.”

Not only does “The Shop” differentiate itself from sports shows, but it’s also a unique spin on the format. Paul has done countless interviews and talk shows over his career, including some of the most popular. This was the first time he was able to do an episode of “The Shop,” and he quickly noticed the vibe.

“It’s a lot different,” Paul said. “When you go to Jimmy Kimmel or one of those top talk shows, it’s somewhat scripted. And here, what makes it great and interesting is it’s just a conversation. A lot of times when you go on talk shows they’re just asking you questions. Here, you find out information, you’re learning things, you’re asking questions to other people, which gives you the opportunity to get to know people in a different way.”

Behind the Scenes of ‘The Shop’ Filming

Very few people are allowed on the set of “The Shop” once filming begins. This is a product of how they shoot the show. Cameras capture the action from every angle so they can’t have anybody in the background. Everybody who isn’t necessary to the actual filming gathers in a tent outside to watch from monitors.

The streets of Los Angeles sing a unique song. Helicopters and sirens flood the air almost drowning out the sounds from the monitors. It’s so loud that the people inside the set can even hear it. One person watching the monitors notes that there’s a police chase going on near the studio. That’s not a surprise occurrence in the City of Angels and it’s certainly not enough to stop filming.

There are many ways in which “The Shop” stands out among a robust media and podcast market. Perhaps the biggest reason is the look of the show. Many aren’t expecting striking cinematography or dynamic camera angles, but it was important for the team at UNINTERRUPTED to create a cinematic experience.

Director Robert Alexander and Riley, who has been with the show from the beginning, were instrumental in developing the distinct look of the show, which features hard lighting and consistent camera movement.

“[Rob] and I’ve been working together for over a decade, and we just have similar tastes,” Riley told Heavy. “We like to make things as cinematic and interesting to look at as possible. And that means lighting, set design, camera angles and things like that, instead of just kind of a straightforward coverage thing. We wanted to do everything we could to make anything that we were a part of stand out.”

Alexander wasn’t around to direct episodes for Season 6 so the team enlisted Condra Magee, who is better known by her director name “conDRAMAgee.”

“If you put my first and last name together Condra Magee, there’s DRAMA in the center, and I just thought that that was just so fitting for me,” Magee explained.

Magee was the first woman to direct an episode of “The Shop” and she had no problem thriving in the role long held by Alexander.

“She’s incredible to work with,” Rivera said. “Super intelligent, super curious, shows up overly prepared every day, but at the same time brings everything to the table in the form of a question. She’s very collaborative. We had Rob Alexander from day one until this season, who was incredible, and we would not have a show literally, without him. A lot of things you see are Rob’s vision. She’s taken it to another level with her eye and vision and style.”

Directing a talk show may seem like a pretty straightforward operation to the untrained eye but the way “The Shop” goes about shooting is a bit different. One of the unique challenges Magee faces on set is that she can’t call “cut” once the cameras start rolling. It’s paramount to have free-flowing conversations and having to stop in the middle of the action could derail what makes the show stand out. Even if there is a serious technical issue, the team has procedures in place to ensure the conversation doesn’t stop.

“We would not call no matter what,” Magee told Heavy. “We would not call cut and we just gotta go with it.”

However, just because stopping the action isn’t an option, doesn’t mean the team doesn’t get creative with how they fix issues that arise.

“In the worst-case scenario where, let’s just say, a mic isn’t working, then we’ll just send one of our sound guys out there,” Magee says. “Everybody’s still having a conversation, the conversation doesn’t stop. We send one of our sound guys out there. We might make a camera adjustment to do as much as we can to hide the fact that that person is now on set making the adjustment. But then otherwise, we’ll just stay rolling.”

One thing Magee really can’t control is continuity. Viewers only get to see a small chunk of the full conversation. A two-hour chat between the guests will get edited to well under an hour. Throughout the filming of the episode, Paul was wearing a hat until he decided to take it off for a while. It’s not the end of the world but it does present challenges.

“When that happened, I looked back at my producer and I said, ‘Chris Paul just took off his hat’ just so that she can make it not that okay, we won’t have continuity,” Magee said. “That’s gonna kind of pigeonhole us in a way, and so that just makes our tasks a little bit harder, but that’s where the creativity comes.”

The editing process is a brutal one. Not every nugget of information that a guest drops will be used in the final episode. That means Magee has a tough balance act, especially when the guests are discussing complex topics.

“It’s a little bit of a task to respect the creativity of our overall show, and the storytelling that we’re trying to do, as well as then respect the talent and the message that they were trying to convey. … I’m sensitive to it, and just want to make sure that whatever it is I’m doing, I’m presenting the person’s words and the way that they were expressed and the meaning and intent that they had originally not to create something that then is kind of contrived,” she explained.

What’s Next for ‘The Shop’?

“The Shop” has wrapped up Season 6, but how long will the show carry on? SpringHill Company is becoming a major player in Hollywood and just had the new film “Shooting Stars” drop on Peacock. Despite the rising popularity of the studio, Rivera doesn’t believe “The Shop” is growing stale for him yet.

“I still get excited to do the show after all these years, because I still truly am a fan of the guests we have on and I’m still learning,” he said. “I learn something every single episode. I believe UNINTERRUPTED and SpringHill as a platform have the responsibility of making sure we’re giving access to information, opportunities and inspiration to the 17-year-old versions of ourselves. I feel like every episode, we’re able to accomplish that. And it’s still exciting to me to this day as it was Episode 1 (of) Season 1.”

As long as there are interesting and fresh conversations to be had, there will be a place for “The Shop” in the pop culture zeitgeist.

Tune in: The Season 6 finale episode of “The Shop UNINTERRUPTED presented by GREY GOOSE Vodka” is now on UNINTERRUPTED’s YouTube Channel.

The Las Vegas Raiders decided to go on a spending spree last offseason when they signed defensive end Chandler Jones to a three-year contract worth $51 million. The former Arizona Cardinals Pro Bowler was 32 at the time but was coming off a season where he had 10.5 sacks. Considering he was coached by Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham when he was the defensive line coach of the New England Patriots from 2012 to 2013, Jones was a logical fit with the team.

However, his debut season with the Raiders had ups and downs. Through his first 11 games in Las Vegas, Jones mustered 0.5 sacks. He picked up the pace for the next four games and had 4.0 sacks before an elbow injury in the Week 16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers ended his season early.

Jones showed signs of improvement prior to the elbow injury, but there is still skepticism regarding the contract the Raiders have him on. In a column written for Bleacher Report on June 13 about the worst contracts in the NFL, Alex Kay listed Jones as having the third-worst.

“Despite playing with one of the league’s top up-and-coming edge rushers in Maxx Crosby, Jones’ inaugural season in Vegas went poorly. He finished with a meager 4.5 sacks in 15 contests while earning a pedestrian 63.8 PFF grade for his efforts,” Kay wrote.

“Jones is heading into his age 33 season with little upside and reason to believe he’ll bounce back from that showing. The Raiders used the No. 7 overall pick on an elite pass-rushing prospect in Tyree Wilson and could elect to phase the aging veteran out of their defensive plans if his skills continue to decline. Vegas won’t be able to completely rid itself of Jones until 2024, however, when his dead cap hit will drop to $12.3 million in comparison to his $17 million salary.”

What the Rest of Chandler Jones’ Contract Looks Like

The Raiders used the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on defensive end Tyree Wilson out of Texas Tech. He will be the future defensive end that they pair with Maxx Crosby. For now, it would be quite difficult to get out of Jones’ contract. According to Spotrac, cutting the four-time Pro Bowler would lead to a $25.6 million dead cap hit.

Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal predicted in a tweet sent on February 20 that Jones will likely be gone after this season. Next year, he will have a dead cap hit of $12.27 million if he is released, which is a more manageable number if the Raiders hope to open up more salary cap space.

Chandler Jones Reveals He Has Dropped Weight

As previously noted, Jones was starting to come on toward the end of the 2022 season. The elbow injury was a setback but it led to some significant weight loss for the veteran. According to a June 14 report from The Athletic’s Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur, Jones is down from 260 pounds to 250 pounds.

He has previously spoken about his weight loss but didn’t give specifics.

“I’m a little lighter this year,” Jones said during his June 1 media availability. “I feel a little faster, a little bit stronger, but I’m just trying to perfect my craft.”

250 pounds isn’t too light for a pass rusher. Maxx Crosby is 256 pounds and Steelers star pass rusher T.J. Watt is 252 pounds.

The Los Angeles Lakers could go superstar-hunting this offseason but that likely isn’t the best strategy. With the Denver Nuggets winning the championship, more teams need to realize that it’s better to build depth around two star players than it is to use the entire payroll on three players. LeBron James may get excited about reuniting with Kyrie Irving or finally getting a chance to play with Chris Paul but there are smaller moves the Lakers can make to remain a contender.

This could lead the team to reach back out to the Indiana Pacers. A trade package surrounding center Myles Turner was frequently talked about last season but it never came to fruition. Center is one of the Lakers’ biggest needs this offseason and Turner would be a big upgrade. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report pitched a “no-brainer” trade that sends Malik Beasley, Mo Bamba, Max Christie and No. 19 pick to Indiana for Turner and guard T.J. McConnell:

The Turner-to-L.A. talks have had such a long shelf life, because that fit looks so intriguing on paper. He could keep the floor spaced for LeBron James and Anthony Davis to attack. On defense, Turner would make the Lakers massive without greatly sacrificing their mobility. Assemble the right supporting cast around them, and you could be looking a top-five defense and top-10 offense.

That’s championship-level basketball, which should be L.A.’s lone concern with James nearing the end of his legendary career. The Lakers would lose a few long-term assets here, but if anyone should prioritize the present over the future, it’s the Purple and Gold.

This Would Be Great Trade for Lakers

By the time the Lakers got to the Western Conference Finals, Beasley, Bamba and Christie were not in the rotation. With the trade that Buckley is pitching, Los Angeles would be moving on from three players who didn’t have a role to add two potential impact players. Christie could end up being a good player, which is why the Pacers should be interested in this deal.

The Lakers won a championship in 2020 when they had a competent center they could play with Anthony Davis. The team didn’t have a proper back up so Davis ended up playing center for much of the year. While he’s great at the position in spurts, it’s clear the best strategy is to have him spend some time at power forward. Turner is a very good center and one of the best shot blockers in the NBA. He would form a devastating defensive pairing with Davis.

Is This Trade Enough to Get Lakers Over the Hump?

After getting swept, it’s easy to hit the panic button. However, the Lakers might be closer than many realize. They made it to the Conference Finals despite remaking the roster at the trade deadline. Giving the team a whole year to gel together could be what they need to get over the hump.

The team does need a couple of pieces but Turner and McConnell are good ones to add. The Nuggets aren’t going anywhere and Nikola Jokic is one of the hardest players to guard in the NBA. Throwing Turner and Davis at him is one way to try and slow him down. If the Lakers add Turner and McConnell while retaining Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura, they are a championship contender as long as they stay healthy.

From the outside looking in, cornerback was arguably the Las Vegas Raiders‘ biggest need heading into the offseason. The team decided against adding a big name in free agency and could’ve selected Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez in the draft but decided to take defensive end Tyree Wilson instead. Due to the lack of moves, there has been major concern surrounding the team’s current crop of cornerbacks.

Luckily, the Raiders may not be done adding to the roster yet. The team recently brought in former Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Peters for a visit. He left Las Vegas without a deal, but that wasn’t due to a lack of mutual interest. Peters is still testing the market to see what kind of contract he can get, but according to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed, it’s likely that the two sides reach an agreement soon.

“[Tyler Hall and Jakorian Bennett] may be competing for one starting job, as the Raiders seem likely to sign veteran cornerback Marcus Peters before training camp,” Tafur and Reed wrote. “Peters came in for a visit last month and, according to league and team sources, the two sides have stayed in touch as Peters tests the market. The Raiders have other veteran cornerbacks on their list, but Peters could very likely sign with the team that he grew up rooting for as a kid in Oakland.”

Peters to Raiders Is a Long Time Coming

Though the Raiders are no longer in Oakland, Peters remains destined to wear silver and black before he retires. He grew up in Oakland and was a big fan of the team as a kid. He was drafted by the team’s archrival Kanas City Chiefs when he first came into the NFL but could have a chance to make it up to his hometown team.

Peters is coming off of a couple of down years due to injury. He missed the entirety of the 2021 season with a torn ACL and was clearly working his way back to full strength last season. Peters was once one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL but just turned 30.

Does Peters Still Have Some Juice Left?

Peters is still as fiery as ever. His personality is part of what always made him a great fit with the Raiders. He’ll get in anybody’s face, including coaches. Las Vegas needs more players like that. There are a lot of leaders on the Raiders who like to lead by example. Those types of players are great to have but sometimes teams need a guy who can shake things up. Peters is that type of guy.

It remains to be seen if he can still be a great cover corner. The Baltimore Ravens switched defensive coordinators last season and Peters wasn’t a great fit. He’s a much better fit in Patrick Graham’s defense that features a lot of man coverage. With the Raiders’ current roster, Peters would likely be their best cornerback if he was signed. There are young players who could take leaps this year but nobody has proven themself the way Peters has. Considering the Raiders’ need at the position, they should do what they can to lock the former Defensive Rookie of the Year up.

After having the same starting quarterback for nine years with Derek Carr, the future of the position for the Las Vegas Raiders is unclear. Jimmy Garoppolo was signed this offseason but he’s already hurt and it’s easy for the team to get out of his contract. While he’s a solid starting quarterback, he’s certainly not the long-term answer for the team.

In fact, he might not even get a chance to stick around for very long. There’s been speculation that he could get cut before ever playing a snap for the team. That still seems like a long shot but Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report is predicting that he’ll play this season but won’t be back for 2024:

And when Garoppolo is on the field, he isn’t going to carry the team like an elite franchise QB can. He played well with the 49ers but was never asked to do too much. While Las Vegas’ defense should show some improvement this year, it isn’t the top-tier unit he enjoyed in San Francisco.

Garoppolo is a placeholder, and the 2023 season will leave the Raiders looking for a more permanent solution next offseason. If that turns out to be a rookie, the veteran may stick around for one more season—but it’s worth noting Las Vegas can release him next year and save $13 million off the 2024 cap.

How Jimmy Garoppolo Can Last With Raiders

Head coach Josh McDaniels doesn’t need a physical phenom at quarterback. He has proven he can win with athletically limited quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Mac Jones. What’s going above the shoulders is much more important to McDaniels. Garoppolo is a smart quarterback and doesn’t make a ton of mistakes. If it weren’t for his injury issues, he may be perfect for what the coach wants.

If Garoppolo is going to have any chance of sticking with the Raiders longer than a year or two, he has to stay healthy. That’s something he has only been able to do for one season since he became a starter. At 31, it’s hard to imagine his body will get more durable. If it does, he’ll have a chance to last with the Raiders. There are enough weapons on the team’s offense to win some games but it will come down to whether or not Garoppolo’s body holds up.

What’s the Raiders’ Plan at QB?

The Raiders don’t appear to have a plan at quarterback for the future. The team was clearly considering taking one in the first round of the draft as they reached out to the Chicago Bears about trading for the No. 1 pick. They would’ve likely used that pick on Bryce Young or another top quarterback.

The Raiders are high on rookie fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell but it’s far too early to know if he’ll be good enough to take snaps at the NFL level. If this season goes off the rails and the team ends up with another top-10 pick, drafting a quarterback will be on the board. Unfortunately for the Raiders, the AFC is loaded with elite quarterback talent. If they hope to realistically compete, they will need a quarterback with more upside than Garoppolo or O’Connell.

The Las Vegas Raiders could be heading toward a battle with running back Josh Jacobs. After leading the NFL in rushing yards last season, the team decided to place the franchise tag on the Pro Bowler. The two sides have not agreed on a long-term deal yet and it appears that Jacobs is ready to hold out.

The running back has not signed his franchise tag tender and is missing organized team activities. He’s not allowed to practice until he signs the tender but it’s looking unlikely he’ll do that. The running game is very important in Josh McDaniels‘ offense so having a good running back goes a long way. If the Raiders don’t want to pay Jacobs, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk pitched a scenario where the team rescinds the franchise tag and decides to go after former Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook:

Under the rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Raiders used the franchise tag to keep running back Josh Jacobs in place for at least another season, at $10.1 million. The Raiders also could, under those same rules, rescind the franchise tag.

Would they? If Jacobs won’t accept their best offer on a long-term deal (the deadline for finalizing a multi-year contract is July 17), it would make sense to consider their options. And they could, in theory, pursue Dalvin Cook as a potential replacement for Jacobs.

Cook Looking for a Solid Payday

Cook is a very good running back and still has gas left in the tank. The Vikings cut him because they wanted to use their money in other ways after giving him a $63 million contract in 2020. Though he’s now a free agent again, he’s still looking to get paid. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Cook isn’t going to a team on a discount.

“Dalvin Cook is not looking to sign a $4-5 million contract, that is not going to happen,” Pelissero said on the “Rich Eisen Show,” via BroBible. “This is going to be a significant contract.”

Cook is only 27 and has rushed for over 1,100 yards in four straight seasons. Running backs aren’t getting paid a ton right now so he shouldn’t be expecting what he previously got with the Vikings.

Replacing Cook With Jacobs Makes No Sense

Cook is one of the better running backs in the NFL and should have some suitors. The Raiders won’t be one of them. As Pelissero noted, he is looking to get paid. Why would the Raiders pay Cook when they can just pay Jacobs? Jacobs was better than Cook last season and is younger. If the team is going to pay for a running back, it should be the one who is already tied to them.

Now, Jacobs is probably looking for more than what Cook is right now. That shouldn’t matter to the Raiders unless the difference in asking prices is large. The team has Zamir White waiting in the wings to take over for Jacobs if he doesn’t play on the franchise tag and come to a long-term deal. Jacobs is the only running back they should be considering giving big money to.

The Los Angeles Lakers were a sinking ship before a couple of trades saved their season. One player who contributed to the turnaround was fourth-year power forward Rui Hachimura.

After his impressive playoff run, he could be sought after in free agency. Though he hasn’t committed to the Lakers, he dropped hints about where he’d play to play next season.

“The reason why I requested the trade [from the Washington Wizards] is that I wanted to be somewhere I could be happy and play basketball, that liked me as a basketball player, that believed in me, and the Lakers were one of the teams that was really interested in me,” Hachimura said on the June 9 episode of ESPN’s “Hoop Streams.” “My agent and the team did a good job, and I went to the Lakers and it was a crazy season for me.”

The Lakers were 22-25 and out of the Western Conference’s playoff picture when they acquired Hachimura from the Wizards for Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks. After the trade, the team went 21-14. In 33 regular-season appearances with L.A., Hachimura averaged 9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds a game in 22.6 minutes. But in the playoffs, he was the team’s fifth-leading scorer (12.2 points per game) as the Lakers advanced to the conference finals, where they lost to eventual NBA champs the Denver Nuggets.

“Back at that time, we didn’t even know we were going to make the playoffs,” said Hachimura, who was the ninth overall pick in the 2019 draft. “So we made the playoffs and the playoff run was pretty good, we lost to Denver but it was pretty good for us. I don’t know my future but I just want to be somewhere I can be happy. The Lakers have been good and we’re going to see.”

Should the Los Angeles Lakers Re-Sign Rui Hachimura?

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said “all indications” point to the Lakers signing Hachimura, 25, in an effort to put much of the same conference finalist roster back on the floor together in 2023-24.

“[Lakers general manager Rob] Pelinka has gone on the record saying [they would do] and keep this team together,” Windhorst said on the June 5 episode of “Get Up.” “That would mean re-signing Rui Hachimura, re-signing Austin Reaves and potentially re-signing Lonnie Walker.”

As a restricted free agent, the Lakers have some leverage. Sporting News’ Steven Noh predicted Hachimura will get a contract worth $10 million to $20 million a year, far below the max contract of $33 million that he’s eligible for.

“Hachimura won’t earn that kind of money, but his earning potential is high enough that the Lakers could be put in a tough bind in deciding whether to match an offer from another team,” Noh wrote in a story published May 22. “The most likely outcome is that he returns to the Lakers.”

And Alex Kirschenbaum of Sports Illustrated’s All Lakers wrote on May 4 that the Lakers can “ill afford to let him walk for nothing this summer.”

Bleacher Report’s Eric Pinchus also pointed to a potential return to the Lakers for Hachimura, writing the restricted free agent market was “tight” and that Hachimura would likely sign in the $13 million to $16 million range.

The Los Angeles Lakers Need to Stay Young

In 2021-22, the Lakers went old when it came to roster construction and it was a disaster, missing the playoffs altogether. They got younger this year and it led to a much better season.

Pelinka said he wanted to keep the “young core” together.

“We have a lot of great young players. We want to do our best to fit the puzzle together,” Pelinka said, according to a May 23 story in The Los Angeles Times. “We want to fit the puzzle together in a way that’ll help us compete for championships.”

Despite paying Jimmy Garoppolo a hefty sum this offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders continue to be involved in quarterback rumors. Garoppolo is injured right now and not participating in organized team activities. The team has a clause in his contract that would allow them to cut him if he’s unable to pass a physical.

The Raiders believe he’ll be fine in time for training camp but setbacks happen all the time. There’s still a possibility that he’ll never play a snap for the team. If that happens, Las Vegas could have a problem on its hands. They didn’t add any other notable quarterbacks this offseason. A team led by Brian Hoyer or a rookie isn’t going to win many games.

Defensive end Maxx Crosby has cemented himself as one of the best players in the NFL in recent years. He isn’t looking to tank. Future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady plans to join Raiders ownership and despite speculation he’ll play for the team, he has insisted that he is retired for good. Crosby isn’t buying it. He could still see a scenario where Brady plays for the Raiders.

“Obviously, we’ve got Jimmy G,” Crosby said on “The Voncast.” “He’s coming back, he’s gonna be healthy. But you never know what’s gonna happen. Tom Brady is a competitor. … At the absolute worst, if everything doesn’t go the way it’s supposed to and we need him, I would not be surprised if Tom Brady shows up in a Raiders jersey.”

Is Brady Actually Done?

Brady keeps insisting that he’s done. A big reason why people think he might have another year left in the tank is the fact that he’s not starting his job as an analyst for Fox Sports until next year. He doesn’t have any commitments that would stop him from playing this season.

Brady does seem serious about retirement this time. He doesn’t want to get into an endless cycle of retiring only to unretire. He’s on track to be a part owner of the Raiders so he’ll be able to stay involved in football. While it’s impossible to know for sure with Brady, it does seem likely that he is telling the truth when he says he’s retired.

How to Convince Brady to Join Raiders

If Brady is going to play one more season, the Raiders are the logical landing spot. He doesn’t need to learn the offense because he helped develop it with Josh McDaniels when they were both in New England. There wouldn’t be much of a learning curve for him to get back into things.

The Raiders have questions on defense but the offense should be good. Josh Jacobs led the NFL in rushing yards last season and Davante Adams was First-Team All-Pro at wide receiver. Plus, he’d be able to reunite with old teammate Jakobi Meyers. The Raiders have the tools to field an excellent offense if they have the right quarterback. If Garoppolo isn’t able to play, the team won’t have a lot of options at quarterback. It’s easy to see them try to convince Brady to make one last run. That would certainly make the Raiders one of the most interesting teams in the league next season.

Running backs haven’t been getting the best contracts in recent years. Even when they get a good contract, they rarely finish as Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott both got cut this offseason. The Las Vegas Raiders would like to retain Jacobs. He led the NFL in rushing yards last season and has said he’d like to stay with the team. However, he could be preparing to make a stand.

He has until July 17 before he’s officially holding out but he hasn’t shown interest in signing his franchise tag tender that would allow him to sign a long-term deal. Jacobs may be worried about more than just himself. He posted a cryptic message on Twitter amid rumors of a possible holdout.

“Sometimes it’s not about you. We gotta do it for the ones after us,” Jacobs tweeted.

What Does Jacobs Mean by This?

In a previous tweet, Jacobs suggested that running backs may be the most disrespected position group. He clearly isn’t a fan of how top running backs frequently get hit with the franchise tag before they get to free agency and have a difficult time securing long-term deals. Jacobs may look at himself as a possible fighter for future running backs. It’s certainly an admirable sentiment but he’s fighting a losing battle.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell held out for an entire season and never was able to return to form. He did get a contract but didn’t get the chance to finish it. The same thing happened to Elliott. Jacobs may want to martyr himself but it has fallen out of fashion to pay running backs. The best teams aren’t giving big contracts to running backs. Jacobs certainly deserves to be rewarded for an excellent season but a prolonged holdout won’t be good for the team or him.

Will Jacobs Play for Raiders This Season?

The Raiders like Jacobs a lot. He’s a leader and one of their best players. Losing him would be a serious blow to the locker room and the offense. However, general manager Dave Ziegler comes from the New England Patriots. That is a franchise that has never paid running backs during the Bill Belichick regime. Ziegler may not be keen on going against the grain and giving Jacobs a massive contract.

It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Jacobs is willing to sit out the whole season and lose out on a bunch of money. The likely outcome is that he eventually signs the franchise tag tender and plays out the season. It’s not ideal for him but it could be his only option. Now, if he’s a good soldier and plays well on the tag only for the Raiders to tag him again next year, then things will get ugly.

There aren’t a ton of great options in free agency but perhaps the Raiders could look to see who is available in a trade. Heavy Sports’ Matt Lombardo spoke to an NFL offensive coach who believes Las Vegas should hit up the San Francisco 49ers about a possible Sam Darnold Trade.

“I’d trade for Sam Darnold today,” the coach told Lombardo. “They have big issues out there, because they don’t have money to make a big trade. Especially when you’re talking about a quarterback.”

There has been talk about Darnold starting over Trey Lance until Brock Purdy gets healthy. Purdy got injured in the NFC Championship Game and it was thought he might miss time during the 2023 season. He may have a chance to start Week 1 as his recovery is going well. If that’s the case, the 49ers could rather keep Lance as the backup over Darnold thanks to his familiarity with the system and dual-threat ability. That would open the door for the Raiders to get Darnold at a cheap price. It shouldn’t take more than a sixth-round pick to get the former No. 3 pick in a trade.

Darnold Has yet to Play in Solid Offensive System

Darnold would be very fortunate to get some snaps as the 49ers’ starting quarterback this season. He has never been able to play with a great offense before. Kyle Shanahan is a top-five offensive coach in the NFL and San Francisco is stacked with great pieces on offense. If he even gets the chance to play in a few games, that could seriously help his stock.

There was a reason Darnold was the No. 3 pick in 2018 coming out of USC but he played for the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers. Both of those teams have been a mess for years. The 49ers have one of the most stable situations in the league so it’s a good landing spot for him. However, if Purdy is back, it’s possible Darnold never sees the field in San Francisco.

Are Raiders a Good Fit for Darnold?

It’s still questionable if Josh McDaniels has what it takes to be a good head coach but he has proven many times that he’s one of the top offensive minds in the NFL. Darnold coming to Las Vegas isn’t as good of a landing spot as San Francisco but it’s certainly better than New York and Carolina. He’d be able to play with Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, Jakobi Meyers and Josh Jacobs. That would be the best group of playmakers he’s ever been able to play with.

Now, the Raiders might have concerns with Darnold. He hasn’t played well throughout his career. McDaniels would really have to work with him to see if there’s still potential there. If all they have to do is risk a sixth-round pick, it could be worth a shot if Garoppolo isn’t healthy enough to play.