The Las Vegas Raiders underwent more changes than perhaps any other NFL team during the 2025 offseason. A complete overhaul of their leadership group occurred once again, as Pete Carroll and John Spytek now have the keys to the franchise in Las Vegas.
These two spent the offseason dramatically upgrading the roster and coaching staff, as well as the front office. Bleacher Report's Moe Moton praised these upgrades in a recent article.
"The Silver and Black significantly upgraded their coaching staff, hiring head coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly," Moton wrote. "They traded for two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Geno Smith. The team also drafted top running back Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 overall pick."
Raiders predicted to still miss NFL playoffs despite improvement in 2025
While Moton was complimentary of the team's improvements, he still maintained a modest prediction for the team's outlook in 2025. When predicting which team would finish in last place in the AFC West, he chose the Raiders, who finished 0-6 in the division last season.
"With those additions, Las Vegas can hang with some of the top teams across the league. That said, the Raiders must make up more ground between their roster and legitimate playoff-contending clubs," Moton said. "The Raiders could win seven or eight games, yet still finish last in the AFC West."
While winning seven or eight games would be a massive improvement and nearly double their output from last season, finishing last in the AFC West would put a damper on things. Raider Nation has playoff hopes, which may be a bit unrealistic considering other things Moton pointed out.
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"Las Vegas has two rookie receivers in Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr., who may have to take on prominent roles as complementary playmakers to All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers and wideout Jakobi Meyers. The coaching staff must also sort out the starters at both guard positions," Moton added.
Offensively, the team has plenty of question marks despite finding several key upgrades during the offseason. Defensively, however, it has been widely acknowledged that the team got worse at a few key positions and still does not have answers ahead of training camp.
"The Raiders have a mostly unproven secondary," Moton pointed out. "They don't have a sure-fire starter at cornerback. Safety Isaiah Pola-Mao has to make more impact plays this year than he did as a first-year starter in 2024."
Fortunately, the Silver and Black still have roughly two months to sort out these issues and make a serious run at a playoff spot in a loaded AFC. Raider Nation does need to be patient in a way, as it takes time to build great franchises, but it would just be so gratifying to have instant results for once.