The Las Vegas Raiders underwent more change than perhaps any other team in the NFL this offseason. Pete Carroll and John Spytek have been a key part of too many winning franchises to let the Silver and Black repeat the same mistakes that have plagued them for over two decades.
While not every move that they made was easily understood by the fan base, Raider Nation can rest assured that the new regime has a legitimate plan. This duo has not necessarily proven anything yet, but they have already demonstrated their plan to attack roster building in a variety of ways.
Unfortunately, that meant the departures of both starting safeties from Week 1 last season, Tre'Von Moehrig and Marcus Epps. While most of the fan base wanted one or both to remain in Las Vegas, Spytek and Carroll opted to move on from both in favor of Jeremy Chinn and Isaiah Pola-Mao.
Isaiah Pola-Mao is set for breakout season for Raiders in 2025
Chinn is already a relatively known commodity in the NFL, but Pola-Mao is still a secret that only Raiders fans know about. However, the fourth-year pro is set for a breakout campaign in Las Vegas during the 2025 NFL season, and the rest of the league has no idea.
Spytek gave Pola-Mao a two-year deal worth $7.5 million this offseason without ever personally watching him play a down for the Silver and Black. The team's choice to lock him down before free agency even started demonstrated their desire to keep him above any other safety on the roster.
During the 2024 season, Pola-Mao filled in admirably for an injured Epps after Week 3. He started the remaining 14 games of the season for the Raiders, recording 89 tackles, including two for a loss, as well as five passes defended, two forced fumbles and 1.0 sacks.
RELATED: Raiders' young safety is already embracing the team's newest defensive pieces
Pola-Mao started to burst onto the scene late last season when he won the AFC Defensive Player of the Week award in Week 16. He had nine tackles and two forced fumbles against the Jacksonville Jaguars, helping Las Vegas snap its 10-game losing streak.
At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, he is exactly the kind of tall, long and physical defensive back that Pete Carroll covets. He is built a bit like Kam Chancellor from Carroll's "Legion of Boom" days with the Seattle Seahawks, which should bode well for the nearly 26-year-old safety.
Despite being the nephew of Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu, Pola-Mao has flown under the radar through his first three NFL seasons. That won't last much longer, as his stardom is a ticking time bomb that is ready to explode in 2025.