NFL Insider Says Raiders Are 'New Cleveland Browns' Due to HC, GM Contract Buyouts

Despite the addition of Tom Brady to the ownership group, the vibes around the Las Vegas Raiders remain low going into another offseason in which they will be looking for a new head coach and general manager.

According to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, one unnamed source described the Raiders as the "new Cleveland Browns" with their recent string of contract buyouts for fired coaches and executives.

Vegas announced on Thursday that general manager Tom Telesco has been fired just 12 months after being hired. The move came two days after head coach Antonio Pierce was fired.

Raiders owner Mark Davis has now fired a combined total of six head coaches and general managers since December 2018. Their next head coach will be their fifth since the start of the 2021 season if you include interim Rich Bisaccia after he took over following Jon Gruden's resignation.

The list of coaches and executives fired includes Gruden, Pierce, Telesco, Josh McDaniels, Reggie McKenzie and Mike Mayock.

There has been an expectation that Brady was going to have "a lot" of influence over what the Raiders do this offseason, particularly as it pertains to finding a head coach and quarterback.

In a vacuum, the firings of Pierce and Telesco are justifiable. Pierce had a good stint as interim head coach over the final nine games of the 2023 season, but there was no indication he got better after getting the full-time job.

Telesco was an odd hire in the first place after being fired by the Los Angeles Chargers in December 2023 following a 63-21 loss to the Raiders. His 2024 draft class wasn't great overall, but Brock Bowers is a stud at tight end and a foundation piece for the offense.

But when you look at how much turnover the Raiders have had over the past four years, it's no wonder that this organization has looked directionless because no one has been given the time to properly build a roster to marry with a system.

As for the Browns comparison, at least the Raiders aren't stuck with an albatross contract for a quarterback who was having a historically bad run before suffering a season-ending torn Achilles and had a setback in his rehab that has left his status for 2025 up in the air.