It’s been a rough go at it for Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis. Raider Nation’s criticism of Davis is unsurprising, but what is the general consensus? Well, three words: sell the team.
From a business and financial standpoint, you could argue that Mark Davis is one of the best around the league. Take a look at how he handled the Raiders’ relocation to Sin City and the overall growth in the Raiders’ brand value since he succeeded his father, Al Davis, and you’ll be able to support that claim. Unfortunately, success on the field has been sparse, and that’s putting it lightly.
Davis has become known more for the instability that has plagued the Raiders. You could argue that once Davis made former head coach Jack Del Rio fire himself publicly, things have only gone downhill with an occasional blip of hope (two to be more specific). The Silver and Black made a wild card appearance in 2021, and they also acquired Davante Adams.
Then there’s the “bad.”
Jon Gruden 2.0 was an unmitigated disaster. Nobody looks back fondly on any of it, be it the mishandling of Khalik Mack, the whiffed first round draft picks, or the lack of wins. For their own well-documented reasons, neither Josh McDaniels’ hiring nor his subsequent firing stand out in Raiders history. Do you see the pattern?
Considering everything, it’s clear that changes are necessary. It’s evident that Davis isn’t listening to the right people and may not have done so in the past. As far as Raiders fans are concerned, it does appear many are ready to move on from Davis. Based on the overwhelming response to our X/Twitter and Facebook polls, Raider Nation’s message is clear: sell the team, Mark.
Raider Nation, while it can voice its opinion all it wants, must face reality. The reality is that Davis is not going anywhere. Why would he give up one of the most valuable teams in professional sports? Instead, Raiders fans must hope that Davis will handle the current situation involving first-year head coach Antonio Pierce appropriately. More importantly, will he demand that the team find a way to finally land a franchise quarterback next offseason?
Buckle up, Raider Nation.