Here’s a blueprint the Raiders can follow as they prepare to rebuild

As the Raiders prepare for perhaps the most pivotal offseason in franchise history, they don’t have to look far for examples of teams that suffered through long losing stretches before finally breaking through.

Granted, it takes bold and creative thinking and for everyone to be on the same page, but if the Rams and Lions can orchestrate rapid turnarounds after decades of futility, why not the Raiders?

The Rams endured 13 straight nonwinning seasons before pulling an about-face in 2017. They have been to two Super Bowls, winning one, and turned into a model franchise.

The Lions were mostly a hapless operation for multiple decades. But by creating a tightly knit and lockstep partnership between general manager Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell in 2021, they executed a brilliant multistep plan to usher in their greatest run of success in decades.

Their quick and sustainable turnarounds provide much more than hope for the Raiders, though. The plans they formulated offer a blueprint that the Raiders would be wise to replicate.

The good news for Raiders fans is the franchise is in a prime position to make significant headway this offseason.

They will have at least 11 draft picks, including potentially the No. 1 or No. 2 pick that could be their quarterback of the future. And they are projected to have the third-most salary-cap space in the NFL at $116 million. That would grow by $8.5 million if they part ways with quarterback Geno Smith.

Just as important, their cash commitments for player salaries next year currently stand at $135,309,433. To put that in perspective, this season’s roster cost $278,822,071. If the budget stays intact next year, that means general manager John Spytek will have about $144 million in cash to work with.

Oh, and don’t forget about Tom Brady. If you don’t think the seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback is motivated to make significant improvements, then you don’t know Brady.

Now that his name is attached to the Raiders as a minority owner and the de facto head of football operations, he can’t be happy with what he has seen. Expect Brady and Spytek to make massive changes.

Here are some suggestions on maximizing the 2026 offseason, and while there will be financial resources and draft capital devoted to the defense, the primary focus needs to be on fixing the offense and developing a young quarterback.

Coach-quarterback pairing

If the Raiders end up with the first or second pick, not only will they be in position to draft a franchise-caliber quarterback such as Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza or Oregon’s Dante Moore, but they can use the allure of a high-end quarterback prospect to attract the brightest coaches.

Bears coach Ben Johnson didn’t spurn the Raiders last offseason out of dislike. He went to Chicago for the chance to work with quarterback Caleb Williams.

Two years ago, Kliff Kingsbury spurned the Raiders at the 11th hour to accept the Commanders’ offer to be their offensive coordinator. Money played a role, but just as important was that Washington was in a position to draft LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.

The Raiders’ quarterbacks were Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell.

Could anyone blame Johnson or Kingsbury?

The Raiders will be far more attractive with a good, young quarterback to develop. They need to use that as collateral to find a young offensive whiz to pair with their prized asset.

Move on from the coach?

Aligning a young quarterback with an innovative offensive coach does not necessarily mean the Raiders have to fire coach Pete Carroll. But there should be stipulations attached to his return to help ensure the Raiders are maximizing their prized asset.

Carroll’s mandate would be to find the next Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan or Dave Canales or Liam Coen, all of whom came up the ranks as innovative offensive minds before becoming head coaches.

Carroll has a long track record of identifying good, young coaches. He plucked Canales from El Camino College in Southern California to be his assistant strength and conditioning coach at USC in 2009. Then he brought Canales to Seattle when he took over the Seahawks in 2010. Canales, now the head coach of the Panthers after spending 2023 as the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay, is considered one of the bright young minds in the NFL.

If Carroll is on board with Spytek and Brady’s plan, there is no reason he can’t accommodate a young, innovative offensive mind. The same way Commanders head coach Dan Quinn did when he hired Kingsbury to run the offense and develop Daniels.

If not, the Raiders will have to consider moving on from Carroll.

Fix the offensive line

The Raiders have solid offensive line pieces in left tackle Kolton Miller and interior offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson. The recent play of rookie Caleb Rogers creates hope that he can be a viable asset.

Fellow rookie Charles Grant, second-year tackle DJ Glaze and third-year interior offensive lineman Jordan Meredith have potential, but the Raiders count on them as starters next year.

Free agency needs to be used to shore up the offensive line. Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum, Colts tackle Braden Smith, Packers tackle Rasheed Walker, Jets guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, Cardinals tackle Jonah Williams and Browns tackle Jack Conklin, among others, are slated to become free agents. Adding one or two players in free agency would go a long way toward improving the line.

If so, it could unlock running back Ashton Jeanty, provide solid protection for the quarterback and help ignite the offense

Trade for wide receiver

Assuming the Raiders add their quarterback of the future with their first pick, and keeping with the theme of building a great infrastructure around him, they would be wise to trade back into the first round to add a high-end wide receiver to complement star tight end Brock Bowers.

Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, USC’s Makai Lemon or Washington’s Denzel Boston would be worth the price to move back into the round.

An impact receiver would help Bowers and allow Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton to thrive in complementary roles at receiver.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.