The Las Vegas Raiders underwent another offseason that was full of changes, starting from the top with head coach Pete Carroll set to make his Silver and Black regular-season debut against one of his former clubs, the New England Patriots, in Week 1. While change was necessary after a 4-13 campaign a year ago, the uncertainty leads to mixed reviews among the media when it comes to the NFL power rankings.
The Athletic
18. Las Vegas Raiders
Tired of being the oldest guy on the team, Pete Carroll signed wide receiver Amari Cooper last week, bringing Cooper back to where he started his NFL career in 2015. (Our apologies to Cooper and Carroll, and, well, all of you, for that joke.) Still, the Raiders are thin at wide receiver, and Jakobi Meyers has requested a trade. Geno Smith might just have to be happy with Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty, and why wouldn’t he be? — Josh Kendall
Right now, all signs are pointing toward Meyers playing in Las Vegas this season despite his recent trade request. That gives the offense and Smith a decent receiving corps to work with, but the Raiders are relying on a few wild cards like Tre Tucker taking the next step, what Cooper has left in the tank and how quickly rookies Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr. can catch on in the NFL.
Sports Illustrated
20. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders enter the 2025 season hoping to erase those moments of bumbling incompetence from a year ago. While Pete Carroll’s Seahawks teams were always weird, they were not the specific kind of weird that was the 2024 Raiders. No identity. Frazzled decision making. The one bright spot is that most teams didn’t double their rookie tight end. While my personal jury is out on Ashton Jeanty over taking one of the anchor tackles in the first round and one of the big-time backs in the second, I have faith that Chip Kelly can make it look right. — Conor Orr
Antonio Pierce’s crew ranked dead last in rushing last year, which should dramatically change under Kelly. The former Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers head coach ranked first, ninth, 14th and fourth in total rushing yards during his four years in the league (2013-2016). That, on top of getting the best running back in college football last year, justifies Orr’s faith in Kelly and Las Vegas’ offense moving forward.
Bleacher Report
22. Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders will be a fun watch this season.
With offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, quarterback Geno Smith, All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers and rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, they’re capable of scoring in bunches.
Battle-tested veteran wideouts Jakobi Meyers—pending his contract situation—and Amari Cooper should mix well with Dont’e Thornton Jr., Tre Tucker and Jack Bech. If the offensive line group is solid, this team can be top-12 in scoring.
On the flip side, head coach Pete Carroll is relying heavily on inexperienced youth in the secondary. Eric Stokes is the lead cornerback, and the team doesn’t have a clear-cut No. 2 on the opposite boundary.
The Silver and Black will be in several scoring shootouts this year. — Moe Moton
More love for the offense, but Moton does point out the biggest question mark in Southern Nevada this fall: the defense. Several key contributors from last year’s unit are gone, as it’s a new-look defense for the team this year. Defensive end Maxx Crosby and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham are back, though, and it feels like this is a make-or-break campaign for the latter.
NFL.com
25. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders have only been in Vegas since 2020, and this is their fourth coaching staff since the move. Soon to be 74 years old, Pete Carroll also happens to be the league’s oldest head coach, although few would know it from his energy level. That’s going to be Carroll’s meal ticket this season, I suspect, along with an offense that at least has the potential to become quite good. Geno Smith, Ashton Jeanty and others (perhaps rookie WR Dont’e Thornton) should make this a more threatening attack, and one that might be able to sustain and finish drives better. As for the defense, though, I’m hitting the brakes until I see what this unit is made of. Maxx Crosby is a beast, no doubt, but there are worrisome spots in multiple places on that side of the ball. — Eric Edholm
It’s hard to argue with Edholm’s logic here. Crosby is going to have to put on the Superman cape to cover up some of the holes in the secondary. Meanwhile, the coaching staff looks for young players like Isaiah Pola-Mao, Darien Porter, Kyu Blu Kelly and Decamerion Ricahardson to step up in a major way.
ESPN
30. Las Vegas Raiders
Perhaps Pete Carroll can coach this team out of the basement, but even with the additions of QB Geno Smith and RB Ashton Jeanty on offense and the presence of edge Maxx Crosby on an otherwise shaky defense, this roster has too many weak points. I had them ranked last at wide receiver and 30th overall in my positional group rankings. — Mike Clay
This is way too harsh on the Raiders’ receiving corps. Sure, it’s far from an elite group, but Meyers and Co. can at least be in the middle of the pack. Also, Clay’s analysis ignores the fact that tight end Brock Bowers will be the leading pass-catcher and serve in the ‘WR1’ role.
