3 bold predictions for Raiders in 2024

The 2024 NFL season is nearly upon us and the Las Vegas Raiders are set to start their season on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers. Opinions are mixed on what the Raiders can do this season due to some uncertainty at quarterback and with the coaching staff.

However, this team went 8-9 last season despite switching starting quarterbacks multiple times and firing the head coach in the middle of the season. The Raiders should be far less chaotic this season and have upgraded some key positions. Since it's bold prediction season, we're going to focus on the positives for Las Vegas.

Here are some exciting bold predictions for the Raiders in 2024.

Raiders will be in playoff race through Week 18

The Raiders are floating near the bottom of most power rankings. However, we know that there's always at least one or two teams that are expected to be bad and end up having a great season. Las Vegas is a prime candidate to be one of those teams.

Gardner Minshew is at the very least an upgrade over what Jimmy Garoppolo was last season. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy can't be worse at calling plays than Josh McDaniels and the defense should be even better with the addition of Christian Wilkins.

That's not even mentioning the additions of Brock Bowers, Jackson Powers-Johnson and many more young players. All of this is to say that I expect the Raiders to be hovering around .500 for most of the season and remain in the playoff race through Week 18.

That doesn't mean the team is going to win the AFC West but it does mean that they will be competitive up until the end of the season. They just need a few things to go their way this season and it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Raiders steal a Wild Card playoff spot.

Davante Adams will not be traded

Everybody outside of the Raiders orbit expects Davante Adams to get traded, specifically to the New York Jets. That's not going to happen if the team is in the playoff hunt at the trade deadline. It's possible the Raiders want to get younger in the offseason but they won't jeopardize a potential playoff berth this year just to move off of Adams.

The star wide receiver doesn't want to get traded and that's unlikely to change if the Raiders are winning games. Who knows what his future holds but he'll at least make it through the regular season without getting moved.

Gardner Minshew starts every game if he stays healthy

Many expect Aidan O'Connell to eventually start games this season but I'm not buying it. Minshew won the quarterback battle and he's proven that he's a gamer on Sundays. I can't foresee him playing so poorly that head coach Antonio Pierce decides to pull him.

The only way O'Connell starts is if Minshew gets hurt. The young quarterback didn't show enough this offseason to suggest that he'd be able to outplay Minshew so it's hard to imagine Pierce wanting to make a change unless the Raiders are playing very poorly.