After 11 weeks of the season and no wins to their record, the Oakland Raiders have officially been eliminated from the postseason. At this point, the franchise might as well begin to focus on next year and figure out the best way to rebuild. The Raiders already fired Dennis Allen at head coach. Now the focus falls on who stays and who goes in the current roster and what happens to general manager Reggie McKenzie?
The coaching spot is the first need to address for the Raiders. The team has a head start firing Allen in the middle of the year and will try and move quickly on potential candidates. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport is reporting the Raiders could be a real option for current San Francisco 49ers head coach, Jim Harbaugh. The head coach has an expiring contract with the 49ers and there has been a lot of discussion regarding his return. Friction between Harbaugh and the front office has been reported over the past two years and he could be looking to move to a franchise that will give him more control.
Many believed if Harbaugh was leaving San Francisco, it would be to Miami, a team that had been pursuing him for a year now. However, Rapoport believes that Joe Philbin is set with the Dolphins for the time being and the real issue is that the Harbaugh family has no interest in leaving Northern California. That means the Raiders could be his landing spot. The franchise will not hesitate to give him control considering his recent resume and they would allow Harbaugh to stay in the area he likes.
The next position to get evaluated will be the quarterback spot. The Matt Schaub experiment failed. The Raiders will still owe him money regardless of what happens in his future, but they could opt to simply release him at the end of the year. Matt McGloin could also be on his way out. The Raiders have not lost faith in Derek Carr, but they need a quarterback that can help the rookie develop. Would the Raiders throw big money at Brian Hoyer? They could try to acquire Ryan Mallett or Mark Sanchez. There is also the option of drafting a rookie like Jameis Winston.
Other role players are likely out as well. Questions remain around the future of Charles Woodson. Both Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew are not expected back. The Raiders need a true No. 1 receiver and a better secondary unit. Oaklan has plenty of changes on the horizon that they might as well start to address now.
