It has been a difficult campaign for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Sitting at 2-9 and with a seven-game losing streak hanging over their heads, the Raiders and their fanbase are simply hoping this season comes to a merciful end. Questions are circling almost everywhere from the roster to the coaching staff, and the offseason will likely see sweeping changes.
That being said, the season has not been a total loss. The Raiders have at least identified parts of a long-term core, and the right moves during the offseason can lead to a much brighter long-term outlook.
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, here are three things that the Raiders should be thankful for:
Brock Bowers
While general manager Tom Telesco has had an up-and-down first year on the job, his biggest hit has undoubtedly been the selection of Brock Bowers in the first round of this year’s draft.
The Georgia tight end was widely considered one of the top prospects in 2024, so the Raiders nabbing him up with the thirteenth pick was tremendous value. Bowers has not only proven that to be exactly the case, but he has legitimate aspirations for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Bowers not only leads the Raiders with 74 receptions, but he is second in the entire NFL in that category. He also leads all tight ends with 744 receiving yards, which is good for ninth in the entire league. He is currently trending to be a first-year All-Pro at the position, an impressive feat given the Raiders’ season-long quarterback issues.
Bowers is living up to his potential, and he is shaping up to be the leader of the Raiders’ passing game for a long time to come.
The Davante Adams trade
When the Raiders traded wide receiver Davante Adams to the New York Jets for a third-round selection on Oct. 15, it was seen as the Jets trying to spark their offense and the Raiders moving on from a distressed asset.
Things have worked out well for the Raiders in this regard. The Jets have continued to struggle despite Adams’s presence, and it is clear that the former All-Pro did not fit the franchise’s timeline. With Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers’s future uncertain and the team going through a full regime change, Adams might turn out to be a questionable long-term fit. Meanwhile, the Raiders are currently holding pick number 69 as a result of the trade, giving them four picks in the top seventy draft selections. That will give Telesco plenty of opportunities to bring an infusion of youth into the Raiders, or even provide extra ammunition for a trade if he wants to be aggressive.
The Raiders might have gotten a long-term piece out of the star receiver, and the trade looks much better for them than it did when it was announced.
Offseason resources
While the Raiders have several holes in their roster, they will have the resources to solve at least some of their problems.
Along with the aforementioned draft selections (including a current top-three pick that is expected to be used on a quarterback), the Raiders are sitting on over $112 million in cap space for 2025. That is the third-highest mark in the NFL, behind the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals. That type of cap space will allow Telesco and the Raiders to be aggressive in their free agent pursuits, targeting some of the best players at key positions of need. While the Raiders may need to provide a clear long-term plan towards contention to truly attract the top names, that is a manageable goal. Variables such as no income tax in Nevada and the presence of future Hall of Famers and part-owner Tom Brady could also play a part in bringing free agents to Las Vegas.
This season looks bleak for the Raiders, but that does not mean the future will not indicate brighter days ahead.
