The Las Vegas Raiders' 2-7 record during the 2025 NFL season has been frustrating enough. But perhaps more aggravating has been the fact that the team is not improving as the year progresses, and not many people in the building seem to be taking accountability.
Pete Carroll is more than comfortable pointing the finger at offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, as he's done on multiple occasions, and he has not been reluctant to point out kicker Daniel Carlson's shortcomings either.
Geno Smith has had trouble owning up to his mistakes as well, as he'll blame rookie wide receivers, tipped passes, or even "bad luck" to squirm out of the responsibility he holds for the Raiders' disappointing season. But veteran defensive tackle Adam Butler will tell it like it is.
Raiders' Adam Butler didn't hold back in his latest interview
Butler was interviewed in the locker room after Tuesday's practice by Nick Walters of Vegas Sports Today. When asked about the unsatisfactory results thus far and his mindset heading into the second half of the year, Butler made some brutally honest admissions.
"For me, personally, the mentality is the same: Just do my job. It's very frustrating sometimes, I can't lie, when the other side isn't delivering the way that you think they should deliver. It's sometimes frustrating when we don't deliver how we should deliver," Butler said. "Everybody can see what's going on. We know what's going on. The only thing we can do is do our job. So, I just focus on doing my job and (I am) focusing on helping the team win."
These comments stirred quite a bit of controversy on social media, in part because they were slightly misrepresented, but mainly because it seemed like Butler was blaming the offense. When Raider Nation is upset and tearing down the team, the locker room needs to stick together.
Fans can point the finger and play the blame game all they want, but the players and coaches in the building can't do that, at least not publicly. But when taking in the entire quote, it is clear what Butler is saying.
RELATED: Raiders just had an obvious Chip Kelly replacement become available
Essentially, Las Vegas has not played complementary football in 2025. When one side of the ball has shown up, the other side has typically let them down. Weeks 9 and 10 were the perfect examples, as in the former game, the offense played well, and the defense did not. In the latter, it was the opposite.
Special teams has also played a major role in the Raiders' struggles, as missed kicks, poor coverage on returns and blocked punts have done the team in on several occasions. This is what Butler is referring to in his brutally honest interview; he is not blaming the offense.
But if he was, who could blame him? On Thursday Night Football last week, the Las Vegas defense gave up 10 points, forced nine three-and-outs against the Denver Broncos' offense, and the Raiders started in Denver territory on five possessions, only to score seven points in the entire game.
It is easy to understand why fans could construe Butler's comments as ragging on the offense because the reality has been that they have let the team down far more often than the defense has. Butler's admission understandably struck a nerve, but fans can't blame him for calling a spade a spade.