Getty Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis.
Throughout the NFL, there are owners who like to be heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of the football team. Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis has never been known to be among the owners who like to meddle. He typically allows his general managers and head coaches to do their jobs.
However, he’s owned the Raiders for 12 years now and has two winning seasons to show for it. He could grow impatient and start exerting his power over the team. Head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler have suggested that they’d prefer to go young at quarterback after moving on from Derek Carr. Prior to their comments, the Raiders were heavily linked to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The four-time MVP could still be on the move but he hasn’t revealed his plans quite yet. If he tells the Packers he wants to be traded, it’s easy to see Davis telling Ziegler to make it happen. Longtime NFL insider Mike Silver believes that it is a possibility as he knows the owner wants a big star at quarterback.
“They’re probably thinking Stidham and then go get a young guy,” Silver said on a February 27 episode of “The Colin Cowherd Podcast.” “They have a pretty high pick in this draft to do something like that, which I don’t know if that’s a sustainable solution if you’re Josh … but I think that would be the team-building preference from the front office. But then you know Mark Davis was the guy who wanted Russell Wilson. Mark Davis wants a star. He wants someone to put in that new stadium and give them a new identity and so I could see Mark Davis saying, ‘you know what, let’s do it and the owners always got that kind of sway.”
Would Davis Actually Force Ziegler’s Hand?
Al Davis and Mark Davis have very different owning styles. The former made the final call on personnel decisions throughout much of his career. He had a background in coaching and being in a front office so he had the knowledge to make such decisions. Mark Davis has never worked on the football side of things so he’s relied on others to make personnel decisions.
However, as the team keeps losing, Davis may start losing patience. He wanted the Raiders to sign Tom Brady in 2020 but Jon Gruden decided against it, according to UFC president Dana White. Davis allowed his coach to make the decision despite wanting the Hall of Fame quarterback. The owner may voice his desire to add Rodgers to Ziegler but it’s hard to imagine he’ll force the general manager to make a move he doesn’t want to.
Rodgers Become More Appealing if Asking Price Is Fair
If the Packers are hoping to get multiple first-round picks for Rodgers, there may not be many teams calling them. The New York Jets are the one team that could consider mortgaging its future to land the star quarterback. The Raiders have far too many needs to give up too many valuable draft picks for a 39-year-old quarterback who appears to be near the end of his career.
The Jets have a good roster and could make a Super Bowl run if they add Rodgers. The Raiders need more than Rodgers to become Super Bowl contenders. Now, if the asking price for the quarterback is lower than multiple first-round picks and he expresses an interest in going to Las Vegas, then it’s possible to see the Raiders get involved.