The renewal of the rivalry between Jim Harbaugh of the Los Angeles Chargers and Pete Carroll of the Las Vegas Raiders is exciting, to say the least.
But considering those Raiders enter a serious rebuild, it’s worth suggesting that the Chargers shouldn’t be overly worried about Carroll’s team all that much – at least not right away.
Others disagree, though.
Analyzing the wide-sweeping impact of Carroll’s arrival in the AFC West, Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton listed the Chargers as one of the notable losers.
“In the NFL, though, Carroll has had the upper hand over Harbaugh (6-5), especially in their most recent battles,” Moton wrote. “Though the Chargers are coming off a year in which they clinched a playoff berth with an 11-6 record, Harbaugh probably isn't thrilled to see Carroll back in his conference and division.”
Things change, though. A mellowed Harbaugh showed up with the Chargers last year and took them to the playoffs in a supposed soft rebuild year. One could suggest Carroll might be able to do the same with the Raiders, but the difference that sticks out the most is comparing Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert to the question mark under center for the Raiders.
By most accounts, the Chargers have a big leg up in the rebuilding status of their respective programs right now. Harbaugh and Co. get to surge ahead with roughly $65 million in free cap space to build around a franchise passer already on his big-money extension and with a roster accustomed to postseason play.
From an annoyance standpoint, Harbaugh and the Chargers’ path through the AFC West got a little tougher. But they can do plenty this offseason to make sure they aren't outright losers in the ordeal.
