Getty New Las Vegas Raiders QB Anthony Brown.
The Las Vegas Raiders are going through the process of trying to figure out who their next general manager will be but the team still has personnel decisions to make in the meantime. Many young and practice squad players don’t have contracts past the 2024 season but there are a handful that the team would like to keep around.
The Raiders announced the signing of 15 players to Reserve/Future contracts on January 8. Here’s a rundown of all the players the team signed:
- DE David Agoha,
- CB Cornell Armstrong
- QB Anthony Brown Jr.
- T DJ Fluker
- TE Cole Fotheringham
- S Jaydon Grant
- DT Marquan McCall
- RB Sincere McCormick
- T Jalen McKenzie
- TE John Samuel Shenker
- DT Nesta Jade Silvera
- DE Elerson Smith
- DE Charles Snowden
- CB Sam Webb
- WR Kristian Wilkerson
We have signed the following 15 players to Reserve/Future contracts ➡️ t.co/wHZQrypOhQ
Among the notable signings is quarterback Anthony Brown. He was recently brought in for a visit before the end of the regular season but the team didn’t sign him. However, he must’ve impressed them enough to give him a further look this offseason. Defensive tackle Nesta Jade Silvera is another notable signing as he really impressed the team in training camp last offseason but couldn’t get on the field. The Raiders will continue developing him.
Not all of these players will still be on the roster when training camp comes around but this allows them to be involved with the team through most of the offseason.
4 GM Candidates Emerge for Las Vegas Raiders
Unfortunately for many of the aforementioned players, the Raiders roster could go through major changes depending on who gets hired as general manager. Interim general manager Champ Kelly is considered the favorite to get the job but anything can happen this offseason.
Regardless, the Raiders do need to conduct a full search this offseason. According to January 8 reports from The Athletic’s Vic Tafur and NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the team has requested interviews with Cincinnati Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown, Buffalo Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray, Indianapolis Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds and San Francisco 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters.
According to the NFL’s Rooney Rule, the Raiders have to interview at least two diverse candidates, which Gray and Brown would qualify as. If those interviews are conducted, the Raiders will be free to hire whoever they want.
Will Las Vegas Raiders Hire GM Before HC?
There’s been no news of the Raiders interviewing head coaching candidates yet so owner Mark Davis could choose to hire a general manager before hiring a head coach. Davis has typically been the one to choose his head coaches in the last few searches so it’ll be interesting to see if he lets the next general manager make the decision.
It’s still early in the process so Davis could be preparing to interview head coaching candidates soon but for now, his focus appears to be on finding the next general manager. Considering the lack of success he has had finding head coaches, it may be the best decision for him to allow the general manager to pick the next head coach. That could be good or bad for interim head coach Antonio Pierce. Champ Kelly being retained likely helps Pierce’s chances but if somebody else is brought in, they could want to go in a different direction.