3 Moves The Las Vegas Raiders Must Make This Offseason
A New Era is Dawning for The Silver and Black
As the NFL offseason officially begins for all 32 teams, we will examine what each franchise must do in free agency and the NFL Draft to emerge a better, more complete team when the 2025 season kicks off in September.
It’s a new era for the Las Vegas Raiders. Again.
One year after removing the “interim” title from Antonio Pierce and making him the full-time head coach, the Silver and Black turned the page after a disastrous 4-13 campaign in 2024 and are in the midst of an organizational reset.
Gone are Pierce and former general manager Tom Telesco, and in are head coach Pete Carroll and GM John Spytek.
There’s also the matter of Tom Brady having significant control over the direction of the Raiders’ present and future.
Between The Hashmarks is independent and reader-supported NFL journalism. If you’re a football fan who enjoys in-depth coverage of NFL news, with analysis and insights from sources across the league, please consider becoming a subscriber today!
Will turning back the clock by hiring Carroll and his reputation as a program builder be enough to turn around this woebegone franchise that is meandering through quarterback purgatory and has made the playoffs just twice since 2003?
Here’s a full breakdown of the Raiders’ assets to rebuild with this offseason, and three moves that could turn the tide in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas Raiders Cap Space
Only the New England Patriots have more spending flexibility this offseason than the Raiders’ projected $95.17 million in cap space. Spytek having nearly $100 million in cap space at his disposal, and with a potential franchise quarterback within reach in this spring’s NFL Draft makes a turnaround similar to what the Washington Commanders were able to pull off in 2024 even remotely possible for the Raiders in 2025.
Las Vegas Raiders Draft Picks
One year after selecting Brock Bowers, who might already be the premier tight end in the league, the Raiders will be picking inside the top 10 of this year’s draft, within reach of one of the top quarterbacks in this year’s class.
Round 1, Pick 6 overall
Round 2, Pick 37 overall
Round 3, Pick 68 overall
Round 3, Pick 73 overall (via New York Jets)
Round 4, Pick 107 overall
Round 5, Pick 144 overall
Round 6, Pick 182 overall
Round 7, Pick 224 overall
Three Moves the Raiders Must Make For This Offseason to be a Success
Trade Up For a Quarterback
Pete Carroll isn’t getting any younger, and the gap between the Raiders, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, and Kansas City Chiefs needs to start narrowing, in a hurry. The quickest way to jumpstart a rebuild of an already relatively young roster is to mine a franchise quarterback quickly.
Armed with a pair of third-round picks, four selections in the top 70 in this year’s class, and future draft capital, the Raiders have plenty of ammunition to move up for either Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders, especially if one starts slipping on draft night.
If Sanders is available after the first pick, general manager part-owner Tom Brady needs to start burning down phone lines to pull off a trade for the Colorado quarterback, who might be tailor-made to thrive in Chip Kelly’s offense.
Trade for George Pickens
Can you imagine George Pickens and Brock Bowers in the same collection of pass-catchers? Talk about your soft landings for a rookie quarterback.
Who knows how serious the Steelers are about moving off the 6-foot-3 and 200-pound playmaker who has caught 174 passes for 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns in his first 48 career games since being chosen by the Steelers in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. But, if Pittsburgh makes Pickens available, the Raiders would be wise to gauge the market, at least.
Pickens is a bonafide playmaker in the vertical passing game and the kind of player who creates opportunities for the other offensive weapons, which the Raiders are going to need to start collecting this offseason.
Sign Dre Greenlaw
The backbone of so much of Carroll’s success in Seattle was a dominant and swarming defense, and at age 27 despite coming off Achilles and calf injuries over the past two seasons, Dre Greenlaw remains a disruptive playmaker.
We could easily see the Raiders take one of the young linebackers in this year’s class somewhere in the first three rounds, but this scenario has Las Vegas overly aggressive leveraging its draft capital on the trade market.
A six-year veteran, Greenlaw has amassed 455 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, forced two fumbles, and recovered two fumbles since being chosen by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Greenlaw is the definition of a tone-setter and a culture-driver, who would fit right in at the heart of Pete Carroll’s defense and could represent a big part of the Raiders’ turnaround on defense in the coming years.
In Case You Missed It
