NFL offseason power rankings: No. 26 Las Vegas Raiders just want to finally win, baby

Sports

add

Other NFL team previews: 32. Titans | 31. Saints | 30. Browns | 29. Panthers | 28. Jets | 27. Giants

When the Las Vegas Raiders lost last season, there would typically be a video of Maxx Crosby sitting forlorn at his locker addressing the media, shirt off, tattoos covering his upper body. As the season spiraled out of control, it looked like Crosby was aging in dog years.

Advertisement

Losing took a toll on Crosby, and there were plenty of losses. The Raiders didn’t win a single game in October or November, dropping 10 in a row. Crosby is one of the best players the Raiders have had in many years, and he hasn’t experienced much team success.

“Of course, I’m competitive as they come. I put all my time and effort and spirit and soul into this — into being the best version of myself,” Crosby told SirusXM NFL Radio last year, via NFL.com. “I care about winning more than anything on the planet. So, yeah, there were points in the season where I feel like I was losing my mind.”

The Raiders are one of the NFL franchises on a never-ending road to nowhere. Over the last 22 seasons, the Raiders have had 13 coaches and two playoff appearances.

Pete Carroll becomes the Raiders’ 14th coach since their last playoff win, which came on Jan. 19, 2003. Even that hire was a bit of a fumble after the Raiders chased Ben Johnson even though he reportedly was always eyeing the Bears job. It is a little odd for the rebuilding Raiders to hire a coach who will turn 74 years old in September — when the season starts Carroll will break the record as the oldest coach in NFL history — but given owner Mark Davis’ ineptitude at picking the right coach, at least he got someone with a winning history. The hire of Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator is fascinating as well. The Raiders made Kelly the highest-paid coordinator in the NFL at $6 million per season, according to SI. Carroll comes in with new general manager John Spytek, who had been in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ front office. Minority owner Tom Brady seems to have a say in the rebuild, though his role might be a bit overstated, perhaps wishcasting a good story.

Advertisement

At least the Raiders have some potential stars to build around. Crosby is one of the best defensive players in the NFL. Brock Bowers is coming off the best season for a rookie tight end in NFL history. Ashton Jeanty is one of the best running back prospects in many years, and the rebuilding Raiders thought he was worth the sixth pick of the draft. Geno Smith isn’t a star, but when the Raiders traded for him from the Seattle Seahawks they upgraded from what might have been the worst quarterback situation in the NFL.

Rebuilds usually take a while, and presumably the Raiders believe a coach who will turn 74 this season and a quarterback who will turn 35 will help establish a culture that can be carried on down the road. That wouldn’t be the worst outcome. Anything to get the Raiders moving in a positive direction would be a nice change.

Offseason grade

Geno Smith probably ranks in the middle of the pack of NFL starting quarterbacks. That’s a big upgrade for the Raiders, who were at or near the bottom before trading a third-round pick to the Seahawks for Smith. That’s a valuable pick to move for a quarterback who might only have a couple years left as a viable starter, and the two-year, $75 million reworked contract wasn’t cheap either, but it’s hard to put a price on not having to watch terrible quarterback play anymore. The rest of free agency wasn’t great, losing defensive starters safety Tre’von Moehrig, cornerback Nate Hobbs and linebackers Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo. They did bring in safety Jeremy Chinn, cornerback Eric Stokes and linebacker Elandon Roberts, but overall a defense that was average at best was downgraded. The draft class was fun, with exciting running back Ashton Jeanty and receiver Jack Bech as the top two picks. The Raiders lost some talent but added a professional at quarterback, which carries the grade.

Advertisement

Grade: B

Quarterback report

The Raiders’ upgrade at quarterback isn’t all about Geno Smith. It’s also with new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Kelly helped change the NFL by bringing a fast-tempo offense from Oregon to the Philadelphia Eagles more than a decade ago. He was derided and rushed out of the NFL by the gatekeepers who weren’t ready for his new thoughts that eventually took hold throughout the league. However, after a successful season running Ohio State’s offense in 2024 he was ready for an NFL return. His offenses have evolved from the extreme spread to more of a pro-style approach.

“Going from those five-wide [formations], fast, no-huddle, breakneck speed, shiny helmets to getting in a huddle and playing with 12 personnel is a little bit different,” Kelly said, via The Athletic.

Advertisement

It’s different, but Kelly has a track record of successful offenses. He (and rookie back Ashton Jeanty) will help the Raiders’ run game, which will help take pressure off the quarterback. And he should have a positive influence on Smith. How Kelly’s offense fares in the NFL this time around will be huge for Smith and the Raiders.

BetMGM odds breakdown

From Yahoo’s Ben Fawkes: “The Raiders have a new coach (Pete Carroll), new QB (Geno Smith) and a shiny new toy at running back in Ashton Jeanty. The defense? Well, there are some pieces … and some glaring holes. Jeanty is the co-favorite to win AP Offensive Rookie of the Year at +250 odds at BetMGM, which is far too rich a price for my blood. With a win total of 6.5, it’s hard to see how the Raiders aren’t the worst team again in a tough AFC West.”

Yahoo’s fantasy take

From Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski: “In a shocking turn of events, rookie tight ends have led the position in fantasy points each of the past two seasons. But we have to be mindful that Sam LaPorta had a mild tumble in his second year, and perhaps that’s what Brock Bowers will face in 2025.

Advertisement

“It won’t be for a lack of talent, of course — Bowers is an athletic freak. But the stumbling Raiders were forced into mostly negative game scripts last year, which led to a whopping 635 pass attempts, fourth-most in the league. It’s doubtful Las Vegas will be that unbalanced again, especially with rookie RB Ashton Jeanty ready for a featured role. Veteran QB Geno Smith should improve the octane of the offense, and it probably means a hit to the overall passing volume. Bowers currently carries a pricy 18.8 tag in overall Yahoo ADP, and I’ll take a firm pass at that cost.”

Stat to remember

The Raiders were last in the NFL in yards per rush, EPA (expected points added) per rush and success rate on run plays last season. They averaged 3.6 yards per carry, which was 0.3 worse than anyone else. That’s a big reason Ashton Jeanty is a Raider.

While positional value says that a 4-13 team drafting a running back sixth overall might be unwise, it was hard for Las Vegas to pass on an elite prospect like Jeanty. He was ridiculously productive at Boise State, a master of making defenders miss tackles. Pete Carroll has always leaned on the run game, Chip Kelly has had some great rushing attacks through the years and Jeanty is one of the best running back prospects in years. The Raiders shouldn’t finish anywhere near the worst rushing attack in the NFL this season.

Burning question

What can Brock Bowers do in his second season?

Looking back, maybe the right move for many teams early in last year’s NFL Draft was to just take the only two-time winner of the Mackey Award, given to the best tight end in college football.

Advertisement

Bowers was productive at Georgia and took that right into the NFL. He had the most receptions (112) by a rookie in NFL history, receivers included, and the most receiving yards (1,194) by a rookie tight end. The Raiders hit a grand slam with the 13th pick of last year’s draft.

It seems hard to believe Bowers could improve his numbers in Year 2, but a lot is working in his favor. The Raiders didn’t add much in the passing game. Jakobi Meyers had a solid 1,027-yard season but he’s probably miscast as a No. 1 receiver, which means Bowers will get as many targets as he can handle. The Raiders’ quarterback situation is better, which helps. Perhaps the offense will take a big step with Chip Kelly calling plays. Bowers had a historic rookie season, and there’s no good reason to believe he can’t at least approach the same numbers, or maybe improve upon them.

Best-case scenario

Two seasons ago, the Raiders went 5-4 under interim coach Antonio Pierce, leading to Pierce getting hired as the full-time coach. Pierce was exposed last season, but it wasn’t that long ago the Raiders were beating the Chargers 63-21 and winning at Kansas City. The defense was serviceable last season. The offense got huge upgrades at quarterback, running back and coordinator. If the offense comes alive, the defense is at least average and the Antonio Pierce-to-Pete Carroll upgrade is as impactful as it appears on paper, the Raiders can be … a good last-place team in the AFC West? Maybe there’s some way Las Vegas can get out of the basement in the division and compete for a wild card spot, but that’s a big ask in a very tough AFC West. The Raiders would probably be thrilled to just feel like they’re improving.

Nightmare scenario

Pete Carroll is a very good coach who completely changed the Seahawks. His energy makes you forget about his age. But he will be 74 years old this season. Coaching has to be considered a year-to-year proposition for Carroll. The lack of stability at that position has been dragging the Raiders down, and it would be rough to see Las Vegas struggle and Carroll decide he has had enough of the long hours in his mid-70s. There’s a similar concern about Geno Smith hitting a wall in his mid-30s, in a worse offensive environment than he experienced in Seattle. The Raiders made moves this offseason to find a way out of their losing spiral. It would be tough to handle if the bigger moves flame out quickly.

The crystal ball says

The Raiders should be much more enjoyable to watch. Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty are already top 17 picks in Yahoo Fantasy Football and are two of the hottest young stars in the NFL. Geno Smith isn’t great but he’s better than he gets credit for and he’ll elevate the offense. The Raiders will be better than last season’s mess, but it still will lead to a fourth-place finish in the AFC West. The difference with this last-place season will be that the Raiders feel better about their trajectory by the end of it.

This news was originally published on this post .

Share on

email

Previous

trending_flat

Travis Hunter calls Jaguars fit a ‘blessing’ as team embraces his two-way potential

AFC South - English

Next

trending_flat

What If … the Patriots Had Never Fired Bill Belichick?

nfl