Latest news with #PeteCarroll
New York Times
15 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Geno Smith and the top 5 storylines heading into Raiders training camp
For the first time in years, there's genuine optimism surrounding the Las Vegas Raiders. This offseason, they hired a Hall of Fame-caliber coach, made perhaps the biggest upgrade at quarterback in the NFL and drafted a potential superstar in running back Ashton Jeanty. The roster still has plenty of holes, and the AFC West may be the toughest division in the league, but the fan base is excited heading into the 2025 season. When veterans report for training camp on Tuesday, the Raiders will ramp up their preparations for their first season under coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek. Here's a breakdown of the five biggest storylines surrounding the Raiders ahead of their first practice on Wednesday: Geno looking fresh in silver & black 📷@GenoSmith3 | @Raiders — NFL (@NFL) July 15, 2025 Wilkins, who was placed on the PUP list Friday, missed all of OTAs as he continues what Carroll referred to as a 'difficult recovery' from the Jones fracture he suffered in his left foot just five games into last season. The defensive tackle has been in and out of a walking boot throughout this offseason, according to team sources. Last month, he was seen wearing a boot on his left foot while attending a charity event held by former teammate Kyle Van Noy. Advertisement A typical recovery timeline for a Jones fracture is three to four months, but Wilkins is well past that range. It remains unclear when — or if — he'll return to play for the Raiders this season. If Wilkins misses games, then the Raiders will need other defensive tackles to step up in a major way. Adam Butler is coming off back-to-back productive seasons, provides valuable interior pass-rush juice and can be depended on as a starter, but the team lacks a proven commodity to replace Wilkins. Veterans Zach Carter and Leki Fotu earned most of the practice reps in his absence in OTAs, but neither player has been a difference-maker as a pro. Ideally, the young crop of defensive tackles — Jonah Laulu, Tonka Hemingway and JJ Pegues — can make an impact. Financially, the Raiders are committed to Wilkins through the 2026 season. He has a manageable cap hit of about $18.1 million this season, but it balloons to over $37.6 million next season. A whopping $27.25 million of his 2026 salary is guaranteed. In the scenario that he's unable to play this season and they want to move on, they'd have to eat a massive dead-money hit to do so. For football and cap purposes, the Raiders badly need a healthy Wilkins. The Raiders had one of the worst O-lines in football last season. The unit was below average in pass protection and historically awful at run blocking. In response, the Raiders signed veteran guard Alex Cappa, drafted guard Caleb Rogers and offensive tackle Charles Grant and hired Pete's son Brennan Carroll as position coach. Cappa is the only addition who's likely to garner significant playing time this season, so the Raiders are putting a lot on Carroll's ability to coach up the group and scheme around their strengths. For most of OTAs, the starting unit was left tackle Kolton Miller, left guard Dylan Parham, center Jackson Powers-Johnson, Cappa and right tackle DJ Glaze. At left guard, Parham will need to fend off Jordan Meredith and Thayer Munford. Advertisement However the starting lineup shakes out, it's not the most impressive collection of talent on paper. It'll be considered a win if the Raiders get league-average play out of the unit this season. The Raiders are really young — they have just six players on the roster who are 30 or older. It's part of an intentional strategy by the front office to prioritize young talent in building a roster capable of sustaining success into the future. Despite having a ton of cap space this offseason, the lone major splash they made was trading for and extending quarterback Geno Smith. That's why they still have over $31.2 million in remaining cap space, according to Over the Cap. Younger rosters typically come with growing pains, but Carroll has not shied away from that in the past. For the Raiders to be competitive this season, the coaching staff will have to do more in developing unproven players. Let's start with Meyers. The 28-year-old is coming off the best season of his career and is one of the most respected players in the locker room. He has been durable and should be one of the best No. 2 receivers in the NFL. He's making $10.5 million this season, which is a bargain for the Raiders, and will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason. It sounds like a no-brainer to extend Meyers, but the Raiders may have already drafted his replacement in second-round pick Jack Bech. Much like Meyers, Bech, who agreed to his rookie deal on Thursday, is an inside-outside receiver who wins with his route-running savvy and physicality. He has sure hands and was particularly effective from the slot during his college career. There's a lot of overlap between their games, which could make it tricky to work both onto the field at the same time. During OTAs, Meyers primarily operated out of the slot. When he wasn't there, tight end Brock Bowers often slid over. Fourth-round pick Dont'e Thornton and third-year receiver Tre Tucker got most of the reps on the outside. Advertisement Unless Bech can become more effective on the outside, it's hard to see where he fits in with Meyers around. This feels like a situation where the Raiders will probably have to make a choice at some point, which is why it could make sense to hold off on extending Meyers. For Miller, it's more about whether the Raiders believe he will age well. Miller suffered a shoulder injury during the 2023 season that forced him to miss four games. After undergoing surgery last offseason, he wasn't himself last fall. Like Meyers, he's on an affordable contract and will become a free agent next offseason. He's still only 29, but the Raiders may want to see him return to form before committing long term. Quarterback was the Raiders' biggest need entering the offseason, and they landed on the player they believe to be their long-term answer in Smith, 34. After undergoing a career resurgence with the Seattle Seahawks, he's played at a top-10 level — at times — over the last three seasons. While that's a lot better than what the Raiders got from their revolving door of quarterbacks the last few seasons, the upside of the offense remains in question. Smith had his best season in 2022, and the Seahawks finished ninth in scoring offense, but they dipped to 17th and 18th the last two years. Several factors beyond Smith contributed to the falloff — there was a change in play caller, the offensive line was terrible and the run game was ineffective — but it suggests that he can't carry an anemic offense on his own. The aforementioned offensive line uncertainty, a thin receiver room and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly's adjustment from college back to the pros are all elements that could hold the offense back this season despite the addition of Smith. Those potential issues must get cleared up in training camp.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS NFL first-round draft pick Noah Fant cut by his team three days before camp
Seattle Seahawks ' offseason of upheaval took another twist on Sunday with tight end Noah Fant released by the team. Fant, a 2019 first round draft pick for the Denver Broncos, played 48 games for the Seahawks after moving to Seattle as part of the 2022 trade that moved Russell Wilson to Denver. The 27-year-old Fant recorded 130 receptions for 1,400 yards and five touchdowns in his three years in Seattle but now is looking for a new team. The move frees up nearly $9million in salary cap space for the Seahawks and the organization says the move will likely see more opportunities for AJ Barner. The Seahawks welcome players back for the first day of camp from July 23, where a new era will begin for the team with Sam Darnold as their quarterback. His predecessor, Geno Smith, was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this year as Tom Brady led a rebuild of the AFC West organization. Smith reunited with his former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll in Vegas. Darnold enjoyed an impressive year with the Minnesota Vikings last season, although his campaign was blighted by his form stuttering as the team made the playoffs. He signed a three-year, $100.5million deal with the team.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Seahawks officially reunite with Shaquill Griffin
The Seattle Seahawks have succeeded in their efforts to add more depth to the cornerback position. For months now, reuniting with Shaquill Griffin - their third round pick from the 2017 NFL draft - had been a strong possibility. Now, the reunification is officially complete. On Wednesday morning, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that the Seahawks were set to sign Griffin back to the team. After four years and four teams away from Seattle, Griffin is now is returning home to the Pacific Northwest. Griffin will be playing on a one-year deal worth up to $4 million dollars, according to reports from ESPN. The Seahawks beat out their former head coach, Pete Carroll, and his Las Vegas Raiders in signing Griffin, as he did meet with them as well. Instead, the desire to once again play for the team that drafted him was clearly a strong pull. Griffin was solid during his initial four year stint in Seattle, even earning a Pro Bowl nod for his efforts in 2019 despite not snagging an interception. After his rookie deal concluded, Griffin played for the Jacksonville Jaguars for two years before eventually being released. He then played with the Texans for half a season, and was released during the 2023 season. Griffin finished 2023 with the Carolina Panthers, and signed with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024. Speaking of the Vikings, only is Griffin reunited with the Seahawks, he is also joining up with his quarterback from last year in Sam Darnold! The fact Griffin is willing to sign up another team that has Darnold as the starter should say a lot about his confidence in his quarterback. This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks have signed CB Shaquill Griffin, officially reuniting
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Raiders place dt christian wilkins on pup list as he still recovers from broken foot
The Las Vegas Raiders placed defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, who experienced a significant setback earlier this year in his recovery from a broken foot, on the physically unable to perform list Friday. That means Wilkins will miss at least the beginning of training camp, which opens Wednesday. Because he was placed on the PUP list before practices began, the Raiders can activate Wilkins at any time during camp once medically cleared. Wilkins suffered the season-ending injury in Week 5 last season. He then experienced some sort of setback in his recovery, which caused him to miss all of organized team activities and minicamp. 'It's been a difficult recovery, and he's done everything he needs to do,' coach Pete Carroll said in May. 'He's been here every day. He's here early working hard. He's not ready to get back out. We're in the midst of a long challenging process.' Wilkins, 29, was the Raiders marquee free-agent signing last year, agreeing to a four-year, 110 million contract with 82.75 million guaranteed. He was expected to bolster a defensive line led by pass rushers Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce after making a career-high nine sacks in 2023 with Miami to go with his elite run-stopping ability. All three linemen, however, suffered season-ending injuries. Wilkins had two sacks and 17 tackles in five games before injuring his foot, which required surgery. He suffered a Jones fracture – a break of the bone that connects the pinkie toe to the base of the foot.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Raiders place DT Christian Wilkins on PUP list, timeline to return remains unclear
The Las Vegas Raiders placed defensive tackle Christian Wilkins on the active/physically unable to perform list Friday. Wilkins is still recovering from the Jones fracture he suffered in his left foot last October that required surgery and ended his 2024 season. With training camp set to kick off Wednesday, Wilkins, who missed all of OTAs, still isn't ready to practice. Wilkins will still count toward the 90-man roster during the preseason. Advertisement The Raiders can remove Wilkins from the PUP list at any time between now and the start of the regular season. If he remains out of action beyond roster cut day, he'll have to be moved to the reserve/PUP list and will be forced to miss the first four games of the season. At that point, the Raiders would have a five-week window for Wilkins to return to practice. If he failed to do so, then he'd be ruled out for the rest of the season. Typically, the recovery timeline for a Jones fracture is three to four months. When Wilkins wasn't able to practice during OTAs, it suggested that something had gone wrong with his recovery process. When asked about Wilkins, coach Pete Carroll called his recovery process 'difficult.' Wilkins has been in and out of a walking boot throughout the offseason, according to team sources. A timeline for his return to action remains unclear. If Wilkins misses time in the regular season, the Raiders will be depending on a largely unproven defensive tackle group to replace him. Adam Butler is a known commodity and a solid starter, but he's the only other player in the room who can say that. Ideally, the younger group of D-tackles — Jonah Laulu, Tonka Hemingway and JJ Pegues — will be able to step up. The Raiders signed Wilkins to a massive four-year, $110 million free-agent contract last offseason, but it has aged poorly thus far. He played just five games last season, and now his status for the 2025 season is up in the air. Even if Wilkins doesn't play at all this season, he'll likely be back with the Raiders in 2026, given that most of his salary is guaranteed. To move on, the team would have to eat a substantial dead-money hit. Obviously, the Raiders hope Wilkins returns to action soon, and that's not something they have to consider.
