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Offseason in three or fewer words: Reload, not rebuild

Raiders owner Mark Davis referred to bringing in a new regime/tag team of GM Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels as "taking this to the next level" while complimenting Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock for building a foundation and Rich Bisaccia for fostering a positive culture. Still, the end game is to win games, right? And while the Raiders just went 10-7 and appeared in the postseason for just the second time since 2002, there are still questions -- such as what type of defense will new DC Patrick Graham deploy around Pro Bowl MVP Maxx Crosby? Biggest of all, though, how does Derek Carr, who is entering a contract year, fit in McDaniels' offensive scheme? -- Paul Gutierrez

The Raiders have a new braintrust in place in head coach Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler, and it appears the pair is ready to commit to Derek Carr in a way Jon Gruden was never quite willing to do. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday that the Raiders are moving forward with Carr at QB and are prepared to discuss a contract extension that would keep him in Las Vegas for the foreseeable future. The Raiders have wiggle room here -- Carr still has one year and $20 million left on his current deal -- but the team seems ready to put the uncertainty surrounding Carr in the rearview as the franchise begins a new chapter. A prudent decision.

Josh McDaniels takes over as the coach, his second stint running an AFC team after coaching the Broncos earlier in his career. Maturity will make him a better coach the second time around.

These players experienced a rollercoaster ringer in 2021 but gave quite an account of themselves. If that core and those lessons are allowed to take root -- and McDaniels proves he's far more ready to pilot a franchise than he was more than a decade ago -- might be some high rollers here.

Golf clap for Rich Bisaccia and quarterback Derek Carr for the job they did guiding the Raiders through a chaotic season after Jon Gruden's resignation in early October. The Raiders showed impressive resilience to rally in December and make the playoffs. New coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler have plenty of work to do, particularly with the defensive roster, and keeping Carr should be their No. 1 priority.