4 Las Vegas Athletes Who Deserved Better
This isn't always a city of dreams. You can get crushed in Vegas, too. Here are four Las Vegas athletes who deserved better treatment.
Darren Waller can change the game when he steps on the field. That's why the Las Vegas Raiders signed him back in 2018. Waller finished his first season with six targets for six receptions and 75 yards. The sky was the limit for the young man, and he was only getting better.
Waller then improved immensely, grabbing 90 of 117 targets for 1145 yards and three touchdowns. He and Derek Carr were probably one of the more underrated combos. They had a certain chemistry that allowed them to do something special.
In 2020, Waller again set the league on fire, catching 107 of 145 targets for 1196 yards and nine touchdowns. This might have cemented his status as a long-term addition to the Raiders, but Jon Gruden’s resignation changed everything.
It’s difficult to determine whether Waller's drop in numbers is due to Josh McDaniels taking the reigns in 2021 or the young man's injuries. These include a torn hamstring, knee issues, a dislocated thumb, and a lingering ankle problem. He was put on injury reserve that November, officially ending his season.
Waller was then unceremoniously traded to the Giants that offseason just days after marrying Kelsey Plum of the Las Vegas Aces. No matter how you feel about a guy's performance on the field, trading a guy just days after marriage is cruel.
[caption id="attachment_62595" align="alignnone" width="819"]
Source. Kyle Busch[/caption]
There’s no excuse for letting a driver like Kyle Busch slip through your hands. But that’s exactly what Joe Gibbs Racing did in 2022 when they decided to part ways with the Las Vegas native after almost two decades.
Kyle Busch was starting to lose his grip as one of the top drivers in the sport. He failed to make the final four in 2020 and hasn’t returned since.
While you might say this is the perfect excuse to drop Busch for new talent, it doesn’t reflect the whole picture. For example, Busch fought for years to win a championship and finally did in 2015. Busch suffered two broken legs in the Xfinity Series opener that year, forcing him out of action for 11 weeks. He then underwent multiple surgeries and rehab to return to the track by week 13.
He won the title again in 2019 by winning the season's final race but has declined in performance since then. He just missed the 2024 playoffs for the first time in almost a decade while also remaining winless this season.
The Las Vegas Golden Knights are ruthless when dealing with talent, and it’s disappointing to watch. Jonathan Marchessault, Robin Lehner, Logan Thompson, Reily Smith, Max Pacioretty, and others have met an unfair end. These are key players who the Las Vegas Golden Knights decided to trade or cut.
The biggest victim is Marc-Andre Fleury, who was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks after the season of a lifetime. He went 26-10 in 36 starts and allowed 71 goals that season, earning him a GAA of 1.98.
Fleury then outdid himself in that year's playoffs with a record of 9-7 as a starter. While this wasn't enough to win the Stanley Cup in 2021, it did earn Fleury a Vezina trophy for his performance. But, he was still immediately traded to the Blackhawks during that offseason to create cap space.
The disrespect the Las Vegas Raiders have shown Josh Jacobs is outrageous. Things started in 2022 when the organization declined his fifth-year option, putting Las Vegas and Jacobs into a contract dispute. The running back was eventually franchise-tagged.
This kept him in Las Vegas for one year under a one-year, $10 million deal, but the damage was done. Not only is that evident by how Jacobs performed after sitting out training camp but also due to how little the team would do to try to keep him that offseason. Las Vegas let their leading rusher walk out the door and into the arms of the Green Bay Packers.
#4 Darren Waller, former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver
Darren Waller can change the game when he steps on the field. That's why the Las Vegas Raiders signed him back in 2018. Waller finished his first season with six targets for six receptions and 75 yards. The sky was the limit for the young man, and he was only getting better.
Waller then improved immensely, grabbing 90 of 117 targets for 1145 yards and three touchdowns. He and Derek Carr were probably one of the more underrated combos. They had a certain chemistry that allowed them to do something special.
In 2020, Waller again set the league on fire, catching 107 of 145 targets for 1196 yards and nine touchdowns. This might have cemented his status as a long-term addition to the Raiders, but Jon Gruden’s resignation changed everything.
It’s difficult to determine whether Waller's drop in numbers is due to Josh McDaniels taking the reigns in 2021 or the young man's injuries. These include a torn hamstring, knee issues, a dislocated thumb, and a lingering ankle problem. He was put on injury reserve that November, officially ending his season.
Waller was then unceremoniously traded to the Giants that offseason just days after marrying Kelsey Plum of the Las Vegas Aces. No matter how you feel about a guy's performance on the field, trading a guy just days after marriage is cruel.
[caption id="attachment_62595" align="alignnone" width="819"]
Source. Kyle Busch[/caption]#3 Kyle Busch, NASCAR driver
There’s no excuse for letting a driver like Kyle Busch slip through your hands. But that’s exactly what Joe Gibbs Racing did in 2022 when they decided to part ways with the Las Vegas native after almost two decades.
Kyle Busch was starting to lose his grip as one of the top drivers in the sport. He failed to make the final four in 2020 and hasn’t returned since.
While you might say this is the perfect excuse to drop Busch for new talent, it doesn’t reflect the whole picture. For example, Busch fought for years to win a championship and finally did in 2015. Busch suffered two broken legs in the Xfinity Series opener that year, forcing him out of action for 11 weeks. He then underwent multiple surgeries and rehab to return to the track by week 13.
He won the title again in 2019 by winning the season's final race but has declined in performance since then. He just missed the 2024 playoffs for the first time in almost a decade while also remaining winless this season.
#2 Marc-Andre Fleury, former Las Vegas Golden Knights goalie
The Las Vegas Golden Knights are ruthless when dealing with talent, and it’s disappointing to watch. Jonathan Marchessault, Robin Lehner, Logan Thompson, Reily Smith, Max Pacioretty, and others have met an unfair end. These are key players who the Las Vegas Golden Knights decided to trade or cut.
The biggest victim is Marc-Andre Fleury, who was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks after the season of a lifetime. He went 26-10 in 36 starts and allowed 71 goals that season, earning him a GAA of 1.98.
Fleury then outdid himself in that year's playoffs with a record of 9-7 as a starter. While this wasn't enough to win the Stanley Cup in 2021, it did earn Fleury a Vezina trophy for his performance. But, he was still immediately traded to the Blackhawks during that offseason to create cap space.
#1 Joshua Jacobs, former Las Vegas Raiders running back
The disrespect the Las Vegas Raiders have shown Josh Jacobs is outrageous. Things started in 2022 when the organization declined his fifth-year option, putting Las Vegas and Jacobs into a contract dispute. The running back was eventually franchise-tagged.
This kept him in Las Vegas for one year under a one-year, $10 million deal, but the damage was done. Not only is that evident by how Jacobs performed after sitting out training camp but also due to how little the team would do to try to keep him that offseason. Las Vegas let their leading rusher walk out the door and into the arms of the Green Bay Packers.