Raiders players focused on the here and now, not Las Vegas future

ALAMEDA, Calif.

Theirs is a profession based on the ability to compartmentalize, of knowing exactly when to meet and lift and eat and practice and watch film. They’re told where to be and for how long, and in the structured existence of an NFL player, it works.

The last thing a team wants is off-field distractions — a toxin all 32 do their best to avoid — interfering with the process.

This is why some leading players for the Raiders are setting a precedent for 2017 as it relates to the relocation of the Oakland franchise to Las Vegas, which is to say focus on the here, now and think little of a future in Southern Nevada.

It’s the smartest journey for players and coaches to travel, given it’s both unsure exactly when the Raiders will arrive in Las Vegas and, really, who among the current roster will accompany them.

You can expect Derek Carr will eventually be shopping for Las Vegas real estate, the fourth-year pro out of Fresno State who is close to signing a new deal that will pay him what a franchise quarterback demands.

He wrote an impassioned response on Twitter the day NFL owners voted 31-1 last month in favor of relocation, about being overwhelmed with emotion and how, while he understands the business side of the NFL, the team and its Oakland fan base would remain resilient throughout the process.

He used the word loyal a few times.

“What I said then has really held true,” Carr said. “I’m human, man. It’s crazy. How do you keep playing somewhere you love and then you have to go play somewhere else that you’re going to have to love and love the people there, just like we will.

“In all honesty, it doesn’t matter yet. It’s coming, it’s big news, it’s exciting for our organization and for Raiders fans in Nevada, but at the same time, we have our fans here that we need to take care of. That’s really important to me, to make sure we enjoy these last times — two years, three years, who knows? — and do everything we can for this city.”

It was a popular theme among those players made available when the Raiders opened their offseason workouts on Monday at the team’s practice facility, where mixed within questions about Carr’s contract and the possibility of adding Marshawn Lynch to the backfield and how many rest days star linebacker Khalil Mack allowed himself since the team’s wild-card playoff loss at Houston in January (official number: two) were those predictable queries about Las Vegas.

Weird. That’s another word used a lot. It also fits. Never before has relocation been followed by a team remaining in the city it has been approved to leave for as long as the Raiders might stay in Oakland.

Which makes the organization and consistency of how NFL players live during a season all the more important when it comes to the Raiders worrying only about competing for an AFC West title many will predict them to win and not confirming rumors about being able to shop for milk in one aisle of a Las Vegas grocery store while the mother-in-law plays slots in another.

“My thoughts (on relocation) were the same as Derek’s so I just re-tweeted his,” said Mack, the league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year. “To have him say those words, it was spot on.

“Just win now. That’s all we want to do. You don’t know what’s going to happen down the line or who’s going to be where, so this team we have now, just focus on winning. Ultimately, it comes down to us coming to work and doing our job and whatever it takes to win. The other stuff is just outside noise.”

So there you have it. A precedent has been set. It’s about the here and now for players who are built not to look past the next meeting or practice, never mind moving to a new city a few years from now.

And yet whenever that happens, know the loyalty of some when it comes to their past will remain unwavering, even in regard to something as tame as Mountain West football.

“It’s all about the Bulldogs,” Carr said. “I can’t root for UNLV when we get there, so please don’t be offended. I love you guys, but it’s still Fresno State all the way.

“(Vegas) fans should be really excited. We have a good football team that works really hard with great character. When we go there, it’s not so much us incorporating to Vegas, but Las Vegas people incorporating into the Raiders. We’re not going to change who we are — we’re coming into the city, we’re bringing our brand, we’re bringing the silver and black, and hopefully they just come and be part of it. That’s what we want. We want them to be part of it now. But again, our focus is in Oakland right now.”

It’s second nature, an NFL player and his ability to compartmentalize.

Contact columnist Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard on “Seat and Ed” on Fox Sports 98.9 FM and 1340 AM from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.