Best-case scenario presents realistic expectation for Raiders

Even with all of the positives that have come out of the offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders are still up against it coming into the 2025 season.

They are locked into a division with three playoff teams from last season, which already makes improvement difficult. Getting Maxx Crosby back from injury to pair with an emerging young core is promising, but the news of Christian Wilkins heading onto the Physically Unable to Perform list dampened that enthusiasm. While the Raiders would love to see improved quarterback play with Geno Smith and young stars continuing to break through, playoffs still looks like a tough ask.

One analyst’s best-case scenario for the Raiders confirms this thought, and it would still count as a successful year all things considered.

The Raiders do not need a playoff appearance to have a strong season.

Pro Football Network’s Jacob Infante laid out his best-case scenario for every NFL team this season, placing the Raiders at an 8-9 record.

“Arguably, no team improved their quarterback room from 2024 to 2025 like the Las Vegas Raiders did. Going from the combination of Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell to Geno Smith should be a major upgrade. Pete Carroll gives the Raiders an experienced leader with Super Bowl history,” wrote Infante.

“The Raiders are still a work in progress, but they have some strong pieces on both sides of the ball. Players like Brock Bowers, Ashton Jeanty, Maxx Crosby, and Christian Wilkins give them some star power. Under better leadership and with improved quarterback play, they could improve from their 4-13 campaign last season.”

A team hovering around .500 might not be what Raiders fans had in mind, but it would be leaps and bounds better than what their team was a season ago.

Bowers was certainly a positive, but last season’s team was a mess due to injuries, inconsistency and decisions backfiring in a myriad of ways. It is clear the Raiders have chosen to take a more measured approach this time around, landing proven winners in Carroll and general manager John Spytek while building through the draft. Meanwhile, Smith offers a stable veteran presence under center for the Raiders, something the team has lacked since moving on from Derek Carr in 2023.

Doubling up on last season’s win total would constitute a step in the right direction for the Raiders, putting them in good shape to get more aggressive next offseason.a