It is seemingly all sunshine and positive vibes in Las Vegas, and not just because of the summer heat. Training camp for the Raiders is roughly one month away, and after a grueling offseason, there is plenty of buzz heading into the preseason.
After an extremely disappointing 4-13 campaign in 2024, the Silver and Black decided to make sweeping changes. The Raiders cleaned house once again and brought in a new era headlined by an exciting duo of general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll.
The team also found a top-10 quarterback in Geno Smith, landed a highly touted draft class and have been praised by experts at length for what appears to be a massive turnaround. Steve Palazzolo and Sam Monson from the "Check the Mic" podcast have been some of the Raiders' biggest proponents.
Check the mic believes Raiders could be a playoff team
On a recent episode of "Check the Mic," Palazzolo and Monson outlined the best and worst-case scenarios for each NFL team, and they had a surprisingly optimistic take on the Silver and Black. After jokingly saying that the team's best-case scenario is Tom Brady coming out of retirement, they agreed that the Raiders could be a playoff team in 2025.
"Best case for the Raiders, they probably don't become contenders, but they become good. Good enough to make the playoffs, kind of like the Broncos last season," Monson said.
While that may not necessarily sound like a ringing endorsement, Palazzolo went on about how optimistic he is about the offensive pieces on the team.
"Good luck defending the Raiders," Palazzolo said. "They have Ashton Jeanty, Brock Bowers and Dont'e Thronton. Good luck trying to defend the various skill sets the Raiders have."
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The two went on to speak highly of Las Vegas' draft class and talked themselves into further optimism about the Silver and Black.
"They're a nine-win team, at worst, because Pete Carroll is there," Palazzolo said. "The culture is different, and you see a future where they just continue to get better."
It is too early to say whether or not strong vibes and a promising rookie class will be enough to take an embattled team to the playoffs. Then again, fans have seen the miracles that a Pete Carroll culture shift and a dynamic rookie class can provide.