Any hype the Las Vegas Raiders had regarding the 2022 season has completely evaporated following a 2-6 start. The team had no reason to lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9. They were up 17-0 early in the game but ended up losing 27-20. That loss was the final straw for some fans.
Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard is an Oakland, California, native who has remained a big Raiders fan. He’ll likely continue to be a fan of the team but he holds no hard feelings if some star players decide to ditch the team. He made it clear that he wouldn’t even be mad if Maxx Crosby, Davante Adams and Darren Waller decided to leave Las Vegas.
If Crosby, Tae, and Waller get tf out of Vegas I wouldn’t be mad at em.. this bad
All three signed long-term contracts with the Raiders this offseason so they aren’t likely going anywhere. However, Lillard’s comments do illustrate how frustrated the fan base is with the team right now. If things continue to go South, the team might be better off moving on from some star players to gain assets. That won’t happen now but the offseason could prove interesting. Any of the three requesting a trade would certainly be a tough pill to swallow for the Raiders.
How Bad Do Things Have to Get for Raiders to Blow Team Up?
The Raiders do have a talented roster and made the playoffs last season. Five of the team’s six losses this year have come by one score. If the team could’ve done the bare minimum and won each game they had a 17-point lead in, they’d be 5-3, which would have them tied with the Chargers for second place in the AFC West.
Fans are understandably angry right now with how the team has played but they are just a few pieces away from being really good again. The Raiders would be making a mistake if they tore the roster down this offseason and went into rebuild mode. They need to add a lot of help on the defense and a couple of offensive linemen. Once they do that, they should be much better at closing out games.
Raiders Players Getting Frustrated
Fans aren’t the only ones who are frustrated with the Raiders’ season so far. Players aren’t happy with how things have gone. Davante Adams left a perennial playoff team in the Green Bay Packers to come to Las Vegas. He’s not used to losing this many games. He’s frustrated with how the Raiders are playing and doesn’t understand why the team keeps blowing leads.
“There’s no reason why we should be losing games like this, and it’s frustrating,” Adams said following Sunday’s loss. “If we played for a s***ty team, then it’s one thing. But that’s not what it is.”
At a certain point, the Raiders will acknowledge that they just aren’t a good team this year. Yes, they have talent but something just isn’t right. Tight end Foster Moreau wasn’t ready to make excuses after the Jaguars loss. He knows that the Raiders just need to win games no matter what, which they haven’t been doing.
“We have to win football games. That’s the bottom line,” Moreau said, via the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We don’t have to sugarcoat it or say anything.”
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Damian Lillard Wouldn’t Blame Superstar Trio if They Ditched Raiders