Best and Worst-Case Scenarios for the Raiders in 2025

When thinking about what next season looks like for the Las Vegas Raiders, it's easy to get caught up in the extremes and look one way or the other. In reality, the season usually never pans out as one would expect, and there are always surprise developments nobody sees coming.

If there's one thing that is clear with the Raiders, it's that they've made a concentrated effort to get better in 2025. They've made plenty of personnel changes and are leaning into the run game being their offensive identity.

What are the best and worst-case scenarios for the Raiders in 2025? That's the question that Cody Benjamin set out to answer in his recent article. He's a sports writer for CBS Sports, and he believes their best-case scenario is a playoff berth, and their worst case is that 2025 is another lost year for them.

"The Raiders culture is remade by Pete Carroll, with Ashton Jeanty's powerhouse running andGeno Smith's fearless gunslinging reengaging fans and allowing Vegas to sneak into the postseason behind the rival Chiefs".

This is their best-case scenario, and while I do think their offense will be revamped with the additions of Geno Smith and Ashton Jeanty, I don't think they're ready to compete for a playoff spot yet. It's not even that they got significantly better, but so did everyone in the AFC West.

"Smith's turnover streaks rear their head, Carroll's wisdom can't make up for a dearth of defensive backfield talent, and the Raiders are right back to square one in 2026, with no long-term answers at both coach and quarterback".

Their worst-case scenario is pretty grim, but that's why it's their absolute worst case. They signed Pete Carroll for a reason. I don't think they'll be looking for another head coach even if his first year isn't pretty.

I don't think that the Raiders will be as good or as bad as this list says, but they'll find a happy middle ground and be content with a small boost in the win column from last year to this year. They still have young weapons on offense, and while the rest of their roster is only getting older, perhaps they trade for another quarterback in the future, which gives them a better chance at competing once their competition has died down and their players have blossomed into stars.

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