Mike Mayock Sets Ultimatum for Raiders Ahead of 2021 Season

The Las Vegas Raiders spent the offseason shuffling at a few positions and bringing in some new additions after an 8-8 finish in 2020. Las Vegas has missed the playoffs each of the last four years, and the front office is clearly getting antsy heading into Year 4 of Jon Gruden's tenure.

GM Mike Mayock has given the team an ultimatum ahead of Week 1.

Mayock stated that the Raiders "need to be a playoff team this year." He's leaving little room for interpretation and making the team's expectations clear.

"You guys are all going to put that in your headlines, and I understand it, but that's what the expectation is. We think we've done the infrastructure work necessary to put us in position, and we've got to take care of business."

- Mike Mayock

It's still a bold goal to see for a team competing in a loaded AFC West, but the GM seems confident in the team's roster. Anything short of a playoff spot could have huge implications.

Las Vegas already boasts a loaded offense that features Josh Jacobs and Darren Waller, but they made a splash by adding Kenyan Drake to the mix. The team also used their first-round pick on offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood.

On the other side of the ball, the Raiders shored up a previously lacking defensive unit by signing EDGE Yannick Ngakoue and veteran corner Casey Hayward Jr. They selected talented safety Tre'Von Moehrig in the draft to improve their secondary as well.

After a busy offseason, Las Vegas is still favored to miss the playoffs at -480 odds, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

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Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.