After years of uncertainty, the Raiders are entering a phase that should energize the entire fanbase. DH
Analyzing the Raiders
Las Vegas has one of the worst rosters in the National Football League. However, they are a team that has some of the best draft picks and money to spend in free agency. The Raiders have a legitimate chance of turning things around quickly, if they can add the right players.
Zak Koeppel of NFL.com analyzed which teams are most likely to have a productive offseason, with the start of the offseason just a few weeks away for teams like the Raiders. Las Vegas has plenty to look forward to during the offseason, as several changes are likely.
“One of 2025’s biggest disappointments, the Raiders will have a chance to right the ship quickly. They have talented players in place already, led by youngsters Brock Bowers and on offense and game-wrecking veteran on defense,” Koeppel said.
“However, it all starts and ends with the quarterback, and the Raiders learned the hard way in 2025 that they do not possess that key puzzle piece yet.’s reunion with Pete Carroll in Vegas resulted in his worst passer rating (84.5) in a multi-start season since 2014 with the Jets, plus the second-most interceptions (14) in the NFL through Week 15.
The Raiders can gain $8 million in cap space for 2026 if they choose to release the 35-year-old Smith after the season.”
Although the Raiders have plenty to look forward to in what should be a significant offseason, they still have three games remaining in the regular season. Las Vegas must finish the regular season off strong first. Then, they can fully focus on improving during the upcoming offseason.
Earlier this week, Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll explained what the Raiders’ upcoming opponent does well. The Raiders will face the Houston Texans on the road on Sunday, marking Las Vegas’ final away game of the season.
“They’re really good, first off, and they’re playing great. Meco’s [DeMeco Ryans] got those guys humming, and it’s the style of D that we recognize really clearly. They’re doing it really well, and they’re really active. They have playmakers at all their spots, particularly the edge guys jump out, but it’s guys in the middle of the defense too,” Carroll said.
“The linebackers and the safeties are really active and really creative and all that. As far as us, we have to get movement on the line of scrimmage. We got to move the inside guys. The edge guys are going to be crashing down the whole time.
We’ve got to make sure that we’re doing a good job of keeping them from owning the game, because they do sometimes, but we got to get moving inside and make sure that we can make some space for our guys.”
