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Insider Has Four Exciting Words to Describe Raiders Offseason

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Levi Dombro | Last updated May 23, 2025 4:42 PM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders earned the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after managing just four wins during the 2024 season. This caused owner Mark Davis to replace head coach Antonio Pierce with Pete Carroll and general manager Tom Telesco with John Spytek.

Las Vegas' new regime already made several moves this offseason that could potentially change the franchise's outlook. They traded for quarterback Geno Smith, they drafted Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, and they saved tons of cap space by neglecting to sign expensive free agents.

Despite playing in a tough AFC West division, the expectations and hype surrounding the Silver and Black are the highest they have been in years.

ESPN's Bill Barnwell is seemingly a believer in what Carroll and Spytek are building in Las Vegas as well. On Thursday, he handed out superlatives to NFL teams for how they managed their offseasons, and he had exciting words for the Raiders.

"Most likely to improve," Barnwell wrote.

While it may not be difficult to improve from a measly four wins, some teams have better outlooks than others. Las Vegas is one of those teams, for a few key reasons.

"The quickest and most fruitful way for NFL teams to win more games is to upgrade at quarterback and head coach," Barnwell wrote. "The 2025 Raiders hope a new coach and quarterback will propel them forward."

Pete Carroll is one of the most experienced coaches in the NFL, and already has a Super Bowl victory under his belt. Geno Smith also won the league's Most Improved Player Award in 2022 under Carroll, so the two should hit the ground running.

Las Vegas' season starts on the road against the New England Patriots in Week 1. This will be the first opportunity for the team to prove that they are not the same Raiders from last season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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