#5 Marcus Mariota
You might see Marcus Mariota taking a pay cut to stay with the Raiders as the end of his football career, but it actually could put him in a very interesting situation down the line. For example, if the Raiders give up on Derek Car as their starter, it will give Marcus Mariota a chance to take control of the offense. He could end up taking Carr’s job before all is said and done. Honestly, Mariota taking an eight-million-dollar pay cut might not have been the worst idea. He’s protecting his career and giving himself time to prove himself to potential suitors. With that in mind, don’t expect Mariota to stick around if the starting job doesn’t become his.
#4 Bryan Edwards
The Las Vegas Raiders drafted Bryan Edwards in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft, and they pretty much got what they paid for. In fact, with only one touchdown, an ankle injury that kept him out for four weeks, and losing his starting job to Nelson Agholor, it seems like Edwards isn’t a fit for the Raiders. Unfortunately, Agholor’s departure is going to force Edwards to step up and prove everyone wrong. The question is whether he can actually do that or not. If he can’t, look for the Raiders to find someone else.
#3 Jeff Heath
Maybe it’s the fact that Jeff Heath is coming into a contract year with the Raiders organization, or it could just be his ineffectiveness throughout the 2021 season, but there doesn’t seem to be much in his future. Some pundits are even arguing about whether he should be a starter anymore. With that being said, his record of 33 combo tackles and 23 solo tackles in 2020 doesn’t really help him out either. Ot’s a steep decline from the numbers he just put up a year ago.
The defense was one of the biggest problems in 2020 for the Raiders, which is why change needs to come at every position. Heath’s eight-million-dollar contract in two years might slow down this process a bit, but his release is still coming.
#2 Richie Incognito
Believe it or not, the future of the Las Vegas Raiders might not include star right guard Richie Incognito, who has proven to be quite ineffective lately in his career. He suffered an Achilles injury last season that kept him out of action for much of the year.
At this point, Richie Incognito is too much of a distraction. Not only is that evident by teasing retirement several times and acquiring a laundry list of injuries, but also by his bad behavior off the field. He was accused of using racial slurs against the team’s coaches, bullying a player in Miami, and was even suspended for a funeral home incident.
#1 Jon Gruden
How does Jon Gruden still have a job with the Las Vegas Raiders organization? Sure, he’s a Super Bowl-winning coach that took Tampa Bay to the big game in 2002 but has had little success since that time. Fast forward to 2021, and he is 19-29 in his last three seasons with the Raiders. He seems to lack the ability to manage a decent offense, and his defensive decisions have led to some of the worst plays of the season. Gruden is either so in with the management that they will never remove him, or they are going to wake up soon to his inability.
