Tom Brady Gives Brutally Honest Evaluation of 2025 Raiders

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The Las Vegas Raiders are entering the 2026 season with a lot more hope for success than they have in any of the last few years.
Las Vegas made wholesale changes at nearly every position on the field this offseason, as well as to its coaching staff. It all starts with the new hire of head coach Klint Kubiak, one of the brightest young offensive minds in the NFL.

Raiders Seeking Major Improvements in 2026
The Raiders have a combined 7-27 record over the last two seasons, and it was probably the worst team in the entire NFL in 2025. That led to the Silver and Black landing the No. 1 overall pick in this past spring's NFL Draft, where they selected Heisman Trophy winner and national champ Fernando Mendoza.
Las Vegas won't walk into 2026 expecting to be a true playoff contender, but it's expected to make vast improvements. The new coaching staff and front office are eagerly seeking to reset the culture, and the myriad of roster changes this offseason highlight that.

The Raiders have a ton of young talent ready to make major leaps in 2026, including tight end Brock Bowers and running back Ashton Jeanty. It is unclear when Mendoza will take his first snap in the NFL, but veteran Kirk Cousins will be the team's starter to begin the season.
Needless to say, the Raiders have been one of the laughing stocks of the NFL over the past few years, and minority owner Tom Brady has been very vocal and involved in the franchise's turnaround
As the Raiders look to get back to being, at the very least, a competitive team in the AFC, Brady gave a brutally honest evaluation of the 2025 season and highlighted the front office's expectations heading into 2026.

Tom Brady Expecting Major Improvement in 2026
On a recent appearance on the Stick to Football podcast, Brady didn't mince words when discussing Las Vegas' 2025 season, but also noted the expectations for improvement heading into 2026.
"I would expect a lot of improvement from where it's been," Brady said. “Last year, we just underperformed in every area. And it’s everybody’s fault. That’s the reality. There’s nobody who did a good job. There’s not one player in the organization, there’s not anybody involved that did the job to the level that it needs to be done at."

“A massive improvement,” Brady said on what he expects in 2026. “And I would expect daily improvement, and I’d expect hourly improvement. I really would. Every day that goes by, when you’re on a good team, every day and every week goes by, you should be better."
There was already a good bit of optimism around the Raiders and their fan base heading into the 2026 season, but Brady just dropped the hammer on what he wants to see. Brady, along with the rest of the front office and coaching staff, expects rapid change for the better around the organization, and that starts with setting the culture.

Hugh Straine is an accomplished writer and proud Bucknell University alumnus, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing. He has served as editor of The Bucknellian, worked as an analyst for ESPN+ and Hulu, and currently reports on college sports as a general reporter for On SI.
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