Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis has been described in the past by some of his peers as “cash poor” and one of the poorest owners in the modern NFL. While financial issues have plagued the team in previous years, some recent speculation suggested it might’ve been an issue for the team’s limited moves in NFL free agency.
Davis has spent a staggering amount of money on fired general managers and head coaches in recent years. After parting ways with coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler midway through the 2023 NFL season, it was reported that Davis owes the recently-fired Raiders’ regime nearly $90 million.
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However, that’s not the only money Davis is spending on staffers who work for the team. The Raiders owner reached an agreement in October 2021 to pay an undisclosed amount to former coach Jon Gruden following his resignation during the 2021 season. A former Raiders employee also detailed the massive financial and cultural issues had as recently as 2021.
All of this has helped further shape a reputation surrounding Davis, that he can’t spend on the team like some of the wealthiest owners in the NFL. With that still in the minds of some fans, Raiders’ reporter Vic Tafur addressed the matter in a recent mailbag for The Athletic.
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Asked by a fan if cash was a “factor in some of the major offseason decisions” in 2024, including the team missing out on head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, Tafur made it clear that is not the case.
“Nah, Mark Davis is making it rain dollar bills thanks to the new stadium. He gave Josh McDaniels $50 million to disappear because he knew pretty quickly he had a big mistake with the whole Patriots Way thing. He didn’t make a call to Harbaugh because he thought Pierce earned the job, and while that may be questioned down the road, it had nothing to do with cash. And Kliff Kingsbury got cold feet and the contract was his way out — the Raiders don’t give assistant coaches three-year deals, and that wasn’t an issue when the Raiders thought Kingsbury was coming aboard.”
Vic Tafur on the Las Vegas Raiders’ spending, Mark Davis’ cash flow
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Examining the Raiders’ spending in 2024
To the fan’s point, details emerged this offseason on what transpired between Las Vegas and Kingsbury. He was on track to become the Raiders’ offensive coordinator next season, but the Raiders refused to add another year to his contract. As a result, he bolted for the Washington Commanders.
Adding to Tafur’s point, Las Vegas still spent a significant amount of guaranteed money this offseason. The Christian Wilkins signing wasn’t just a four-year deal worth $110 million, the Raiders guaranteed $57.5 million at signing for Wilkins with $82.75 million of the contract in total guarantees.
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The Raiders also paid quarterback Gardner Minshew a significant amount, giving him a two-year contract with $15 million guaranteed. For comparison, Minshew and Kirk Cousins were the only quarterbacks to sign contracts with $10-plus million guaranteed as Sam Darnold ($8.75 million), Tyrod Taylor ($8.5 million) and Jacoby Brissett ($6.5 million) received significantly less.
While the Raiders might not have addressed all their needs in NFL free agency nor did Davis spend the most in the league or even the AFC, Las Vegas demonstrated this offseason that it has no issue spending to improve the roster even after firing another coaching staff.
