Las Vegas Raiders 2025 Season Preview
By: Michael Higgins
(Image courtesy of Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)
The Las Vegas Raiders have had plenty of turnover this offseason and are expected to make some strides due to that.
The biggest change for the Raiders comes with the coaching staff. They made the change to hire Pete Carroll to be the next head coach and hired Chip Kelly soon after to be the offensive coordinator. Kelly’s innovative offense led the Ohio State Buckeyes to a national championship in 2024.
Departures: Some of their better players walked in free agency, but it is a necessary step in creating a better team during this rebuild. QB Gardner Minshew, RB Alexander Mattison, C Andre James, IOL Cody Whitehair, EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson, LB Divine Deablo, LB Robert Spillane, CB Nate Hobbs, SAF Tre’von Moehrig, and SAF Marcus Epps all left to find new homes. Additionally, after a strange sequence of events, the team cut DL Christian Wilkins.
Trades: They also managed to acquire Pete Carroll’s former QB in Geno Smith from the Seahawks in exchange for a 2025 3rd round pick.
Additions: In free agency, they inked IOL Alex Cappa and SAF Jeremy Chinn to multi-year deals and agreed to one-year contracts with RB Raheem Mostert, LB Germaine Pratt, LB Elandon Roberts, and CB Eric Stokes. It is hard to get big name free agents with a new coaching staff and at the bottom of the league standings.
Draft Selections: It was fairly easy for the Raiders to draft positions of need because they need every position. With their top pick in the first round, they selected RB Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty is a player who will give them an immediate boost on the ground. A team who struggled to get the run game going, they will look to be one of the better teams in that area next season. Other players I expect to make an impact include Iowa State CB Darien Porter, TCU WR Jack Bech, William & Mary Charles Grant, Tennessee WR Dont’e Thornton, and South Carolina DT Tonka Hemingway.
Season Predictions: The Raiders start the season in Foxboro against the Patriots, return home to host the Chargers on Monday Night Football, face the Commanders on the road, and finish the month at home against the Bears. I have the Raiders starting the season 1-3.
They go to Indianapolis to play the Colts, come back to Vegas to host the Titans, head back out to play the Chiefs on the road, and have a Week 8 bye. The Raiders go 1-2 in October.
The Raiders start November at home against the Jaguars, go on the road to play the Broncos on Thursday Night Football, host the Cowboys on Monday Night Football, play at home against the Browns, and travel to Los Angeles to play the Chargers. The Raiders will go 1-4 in November.
The final stretch of the season sees the Raiders host the Broncos, play two straight road games against the Eagles and Texans, and end the season with two home games against the Giants and Chiefs. The Raiders will go 1-4 in this final stretch.
Final Thoughts: I have the Las Vegas Raiders finishing the 2025 season with a record of 4-13. A year in which the Raiders need to see serious steps of progress may not prove to be as promising as hoped. The brightest spot of the team is the rookie running back, but that does not make up for the lack of defense. Even if they put together a top 16 offense, their defense does not have the pieces to keep them afloat.
