The
2018 season was the
Oakland Raiders' 49th in the
National Football League (NFL), their 59th overall, their 24th since their return to Oakland, and their first under
head coachJon Gruden since his rehiring by the organization (fifth overall). The Raiders finished the season with a 4–12 record, failing to improve upon their previous season's record of 6–10, and their worst since
2014.
With a loss to the
Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13, the Raiders were eliminated from playoff contention for the second consecutive season. With their week 15 loss to the Bengals, the Raiders failed to improve their record from the previous season. The loss also secured their spot at last in the AFC West.[1]
On December 10, the Raiders fired general manager
Reggie McKenzie who had been with the Raiders since 2012.[2][3]
This was the first time since 1999 that
Sebastian Janikowski was not on the opening day roster.
Stadium issues
Although the league approved
the Raiders' eventual relocation to Las Vegas on March 27, 2017, the team maintained its lease at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum and used the stadium for the 2018 season while the team's
new stadium in Las Vegas was under construction.[4] Initially in April 2017, the operators of the Coliseum stated they would be unwilling to sign a lease extension for the team to play at the stadium while their new venue in Las Vegas was being built;[5] however by September of that year, the Coliseum operators expressed willingness to negotiate, but insisted on concessions to compensate for the million-dollar deficit the Coliseum runs by hosting Raiders games.[6] Owner
Mark Davis stated he preferred to stay in Oakland for the 2019 season but was considering other options, including Las Vegas's
Sam Boyd Stadium,
Berkeley's
California Memorial Stadium,[6]Mackay Stadium in
Reno, Nevada;[7] the
San Francisco 49ers's
Levi's Stadium and even the
Alamodome in
San Antonio, Texas, a venue thought to have been ruled out in 2014.[6] Davis acknowledged that if fans failed to support the team similarly to the
1996 Houston Oilers, it could hasten the relocation.[6] Team management also indicated they would relocate after 2018 if there were any lawsuits filed against the team; the city of Oakland sued the Raiders and all other teams in the league on December 11, 2018, however the Raiders remained in Oakland for the final year despite the lawsuit.[8]
Offseason
Coaching changes
On January 6, 2018, the Raiders hired their former head coach, Jon Gruden, who returned to the Raiders and coaching from
ESPN's
Monday Night Football.[9] Gruden received a 10-year, $100-million contract to return to the Raiders.[10] Gruden last coached in the NFL in
2008 with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers and last coached the Raiders in
2001.[10] At the press conference announcing the hiring of Gruden on January 9, Gruden announced that
Los Angeles Rams quarterbacks coach
Greg Olson had been hired as offensive coordinator, though Gruden would call plays, while former
Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator
Paul Guenther was hired as the new defensive coordinator.[11] Gruden also announced that former
Tampa Bay Buccaneers and
Dallas Cowboys special teams coordinator
Rich Bisaccia was hired to serve as special teams coordinator.[12] On January 29, the Raiders named
Brian Callahan, son of their former head coach
Bill Callahan, as the new quarterbacks coach.[13]
Khalil Mack holdout and trade to Chicago
On September 1, 2018, the Raiders traded defensive star
Khalil Mack along with their 2020 2nd round pick to the Chicago Bears for two first round picks (RB
Josh Jacobs and CB
Damon Arnette), a 2019 6th round pick, and a 2020 3rd round pick, after he had held out of training camp.[14]
The Raiders finished with the same overall record and strength of schedule as the
San Francisco 49ers at the end of the
2017 season, and their selecting order was determined by way of a coin flip at the
NFL Scouting Combine in March 2018; the Raiders lost the coin toss and received the 10th selection. Both teams rotated with the
Miami Dolphins, receiving the 9th, 10th and 11th pick in each round.[98]
Draft trades
The Raiders traded their fifth-round selection (146th overall, S
Tre Flowers) to Seattle in exchange for Seattle's sixth-round selection (192nd overall, T
Jamil Demby) and running back
Marshawn Lynch.[99]
The Raiders traded a sixth-round selection (210th overall, WR
Braxton Berrios) and wide receiver
Cordarrelle Patterson to New England in exchange for Kansas City's fifth-round selection (159th overall, WR
Daurice Fountain).[91]
The Raiders traded a sixth-round selection (192nd overall, T
Jamil Demby) and fullback
Jamize Olawale to Dallas in exchange for Dallas's fifth-round selection (173rd overall, P
Johnny Townsend).[100]
The Raiders were awarded four sixth-round
compensatory picks (210th, 212th, 216th and 217th overall).[101]
During the game, tight end
Jared Cook set a new franchise record for most receiving yards in a game by a Raiders tight end finishing the night with 180 yards on nine catches. The previous record was held by
Todd Christensen with 173 yards on November 20, 1986 against the
San Diego Chargers.[107] He was one of only six tight ends to ever record over 180 yards receiving since 1999.[108] Quarterback
Derek Carr threw three interceptions in a game for his second time in his career, the previous time was against the
Kansas City Chiefs in 2015.[109]
Week 2: at Denver Broncos
Week Two: Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos – Game summary
This game was the first game for the Raiders without wide receiver
Amari Cooper, as the
Dallas Cowboys traded their 2019 1st round draft pick in exchange for Cooper the week before the game.
Week 9: at San Francisco 49ers
Week Nine: Oakland Raiders at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
^
abKansas City finished ahead of LA Chargers based on division record.
^
abNew England finished ahead of Houston based on head-to-head victory.
^
abcDenver finished ahead of Cincinnati and Buffalo based on strength of victory. Cincinnati finished ahead of Buffalo based on record vs. common opponents. Cincinnati's cumulative record against Baltimore, Indianapolis, the Los Angeles Chargers and Miami was 3–2, compared to Buffalo's 1–4 cumulative record against the same four teams.
^
abNY Jets finished ahead of Oakland based on strength of victory.
^When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.
The
2018 season was the
Oakland Raiders' 49th in the
National Football League (NFL), their 59th overall, their 24th since their return to Oakland, and their first under
head coachJon Gruden since his rehiring by the organization (fifth overall). The Raiders finished the season with a 4–12 record, failing to improve upon their previous season's record of 6–10, and their worst since
2014.
With a loss to the
Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13, the Raiders were eliminated from playoff contention for the second consecutive season. With their week 15 loss to the Bengals, the Raiders failed to improve their record from the previous season. The loss also secured their spot at last in the AFC West.[1]
On December 10, the Raiders fired general manager
Reggie McKenzie who had been with the Raiders since 2012.[2][3]
This was the first time since 1999 that
Sebastian Janikowski was not on the opening day roster.
Stadium issues
Although the league approved
the Raiders' eventual relocation to Las Vegas on March 27, 2017, the team maintained its lease at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum and used the stadium for the 2018 season while the team's
new stadium in Las Vegas was under construction.[4] Initially in April 2017, the operators of the Coliseum stated they would be unwilling to sign a lease extension for the team to play at the stadium while their new venue in Las Vegas was being built;[5] however by September of that year, the Coliseum operators expressed willingness to negotiate, but insisted on concessions to compensate for the million-dollar deficit the Coliseum runs by hosting Raiders games.[6] Owner
Mark Davis stated he preferred to stay in Oakland for the 2019 season but was considering other options, including Las Vegas's
Sam Boyd Stadium,
Berkeley's
California Memorial Stadium,[6]Mackay Stadium in
Reno, Nevada;[7] the
San Francisco 49ers's
Levi's Stadium and even the
Alamodome in
San Antonio, Texas, a venue thought to have been ruled out in 2014.[6] Davis acknowledged that if fans failed to support the team similarly to the
1996 Houston Oilers, it could hasten the relocation.[6] Team management also indicated they would relocate after 2018 if there were any lawsuits filed against the team; the city of Oakland sued the Raiders and all other teams in the league on December 11, 2018, however the Raiders remained in Oakland for the final year despite the lawsuit.[8]
Offseason
Coaching changes
On January 6, 2018, the Raiders hired their former head coach, Jon Gruden, who returned to the Raiders and coaching from
ESPN's
Monday Night Football.[9] Gruden received a 10-year, $100-million contract to return to the Raiders.[10] Gruden last coached in the NFL in
2008 with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers and last coached the Raiders in
2001.[10] At the press conference announcing the hiring of Gruden on January 9, Gruden announced that
Los Angeles Rams quarterbacks coach
Greg Olson had been hired as offensive coordinator, though Gruden would call plays, while former
Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator
Paul Guenther was hired as the new defensive coordinator.[11] Gruden also announced that former
Tampa Bay Buccaneers and
Dallas Cowboys special teams coordinator
Rich Bisaccia was hired to serve as special teams coordinator.[12] On January 29, the Raiders named
Brian Callahan, son of their former head coach
Bill Callahan, as the new quarterbacks coach.[13]
Khalil Mack holdout and trade to Chicago
On September 1, 2018, the Raiders traded defensive star
Khalil Mack along with their 2020 2nd round pick to the Chicago Bears for two first round picks (RB
Josh Jacobs and CB
Damon Arnette), a 2019 6th round pick, and a 2020 3rd round pick, after he had held out of training camp.[14]
The Raiders finished with the same overall record and strength of schedule as the
San Francisco 49ers at the end of the
2017 season, and their selecting order was determined by way of a coin flip at the
NFL Scouting Combine in March 2018; the Raiders lost the coin toss and received the 10th selection. Both teams rotated with the
Miami Dolphins, receiving the 9th, 10th and 11th pick in each round.[98]
Draft trades
The Raiders traded their fifth-round selection (146th overall, S
Tre Flowers) to Seattle in exchange for Seattle's sixth-round selection (192nd overall, T
Jamil Demby) and running back
Marshawn Lynch.[99]
The Raiders traded a sixth-round selection (210th overall, WR
Braxton Berrios) and wide receiver
Cordarrelle Patterson to New England in exchange for Kansas City's fifth-round selection (159th overall, WR
Daurice Fountain).[91]
The Raiders traded a sixth-round selection (192nd overall, T
Jamil Demby) and fullback
Jamize Olawale to Dallas in exchange for Dallas's fifth-round selection (173rd overall, P
Johnny Townsend).[100]
The Raiders were awarded four sixth-round
compensatory picks (210th, 212th, 216th and 217th overall).[101]
During the game, tight end
Jared Cook set a new franchise record for most receiving yards in a game by a Raiders tight end finishing the night with 180 yards on nine catches. The previous record was held by
Todd Christensen with 173 yards on November 20, 1986 against the
San Diego Chargers.[107] He was one of only six tight ends to ever record over 180 yards receiving since 1999.[108] Quarterback
Derek Carr threw three interceptions in a game for his second time in his career, the previous time was against the
Kansas City Chiefs in 2015.[109]
Week 2: at Denver Broncos
Week Two: Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos – Game summary
This game was the first game for the Raiders without wide receiver
Amari Cooper, as the
Dallas Cowboys traded their 2019 1st round draft pick in exchange for Cooper the week before the game.
Week 9: at San Francisco 49ers
Week Nine: Oakland Raiders at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
^
abKansas City finished ahead of LA Chargers based on division record.
^
abNew England finished ahead of Houston based on head-to-head victory.
^
abcDenver finished ahead of Cincinnati and Buffalo based on strength of victory. Cincinnati finished ahead of Buffalo based on record vs. common opponents. Cincinnati's cumulative record against Baltimore, Indianapolis, the Los Angeles Chargers and Miami was 3–2, compared to Buffalo's 1–4 cumulative record against the same four teams.
^
abNY Jets finished ahead of Oakland based on strength of victory.
^When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.