Will Ashton Jeanty Live Up To The Hype? Biggest Questions For The Las Vegas Raiders In 2025

The Las Vegas Raiders are embarking on a brand new era with perhaps the best-looking group they’ve had in a decade.

Pete Carroll, Ashton Jeanty, Geno Smith (and, yes, Tom Brady to a certain extent) have come together to bring the organization to a new level.

Here’s a look at some of the biggest questions about the team heading into the new season.

Is the Pete Carroll Experience Exactly What The Las Vegas Raiders Need?

NFL: Las Vegas Raiders Minicamp
Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Above all, the 2025 season is about whether the Seattle Seahawks made a significant mistake in letting Pete Carroll out the door. Carroll still appears to have plenty of gas in the tank, but the question for doubters with whether he can still be relevant in the 2020s.

There’s plenty of reason to believe so, but it is going to take the head coach creating instant positive change in the wins and losses to reverse the boobirds.

Will Ashton Jeanty Live Up To The Sky-High Hype?

Will Ashton Jeanty Live Up To The Hype? Biggest Questions For The Las Vegas Raiders In 2025
Candice Ward-Imagn Images

The Raiders’ Super Bowl moment of a monumental offseason might have come in the NFL Draft, getting arguably the biggest name in the class, regardless of position, in Ashton Jeanty. Of course, as many rookies have demonstrated over the course of their careers, getting drafted first isn’t a guarantee of success.

Check Out Our LA Sports Merch And Support LAFB!

The hype is certainly there, with many comparing Jeanty to Marshawn Lynch, but it falls on Jeanty to take ideas placed on paper and turn them into reality. Will Jeanty take the pressure off Smith and the rest of the team in a way the Raiders have not experienced in quite some time?

Can The Las Vegas Raiders Close The Gap On The Rest Of The AFC West?

Even if the Raiders can improve significantly, they have a football field-length of ground to make up on the rest of the AFC West.

Every other team in the division reached the playoffs in 2024, meaning that the Raiders may need to vault over skyscrapers to get back in range.

If they can do so, however, then the rest of the AFC should be a relative cakewalk. It’s not impossible, and if the Raiders were going to close the gap, they’ve made the necessary moves. The question is whether it can all come together essentially overnight.

Will Geno Smith Solidify Himself Long-Term?

NFL: Las Vegas Raiders Minicamp
Candice Ward-Imagn Images

There’s been a lot of talk about whether Smith will find his footing back with Carroll once again. The Raiders appear to have plenty of confidence in the quarterback, signing him to a new deal in the offseason that will guarantee him to be around for two more years, per Spotrac.

More News: 5 Notable Raiders Players At Risk Heading Into Training Camp, Including Aidan O’Connell

However, if things don’t quite go to plan, the deal also leaves him with just enough time to be a bridge quarterback in 2026.

Smith’s goal this season should be to win over the organization well enough to get him a new deal that gets him to the age of 40 in 2030. It would likely take at least a .500 season to move the needle enough to get him there, which is something well within his recent production.

Will it happen, or will it be clear that he will be coaching up a newbie in 2026?

Mentioned In This Article:
0What do you think?Post a comment.