The Las Vegas Raiders have a new outlook for next season. After treading in mediocrity for years, they’ve embraced a rebuild with Tom Brady as their new owner. He’s helped execute the search for head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek, who will work to find and develop talent.
The Raiders immediately need reinforcements for their offense, which ranked 29th in PFSN’s Offense+ metric in 2024. They are now being predicted to go with veteran signal-caller Aaron Rodgers to help them win the Super Bowl.
Tom Brady’s Raiders Predicted To Play Safe With Aaron Rodgers
Rodgers’ time with the New York Jets has likely come to an end, and with that, the debate over the 41-year-old’s future is heating up. The Jets recently announced they’d be releasing the four-time MVP after just two seasons in New York, marking an unceremonious conclusion to a tenure that was supposed to bring the Jets back to contention.
Instead, the team finished 5-12 in 2024; Rodgers — who started all 17 games — put up respectable numbers but failed to elevate the offense to anything close to a playoff-caliber unit.
Now, with Rodgers set to enter free agency at 41, speculation has turned to what’s next; PFSN’s Ben Rolfe offered a bold prediction that he would land with the Raiders.
“The Las Vegas Raiders did not hire Pete Carroll for a long rebuild. At 73 years old, Carroll is unlikely to be there for the long haul, which means the Raiders need to take a step to challenge sooner rather than later.
Where does Aaron Rodgers end up next? pic.twitter.com/3VjepP3Hyt
— PFSN (@PFN365) February 13, 2025
“Picking sixth in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Raiders are unlikely to see either Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders fall to them. A trade-up to get either would be expensive, and there’s no guarantee it would be any more successful than a gamble on Rodgers.
“Rodgers is a relatively cheap experiment in 2025. He would only cost $9.5 million against the cap and $37.5 million in cash for the year. With more than $90 million in cap space, the Raiders can then also make moves to enhance Rodgers’ chances of succeeding.”
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Rodgers’ recent QB+ numbers are uninspiring — D+ (68.0) in 2022 and a C- (72.1) in 2024 — but we’ve seen him bounce back in the past. Rodgers’ decline seemed clear and obvious in the late 2010s before the legendary QB hit back with a spite-filled, multi-MVP two-year stretch.
Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew II are under contract for 2025, though Minshew could be a cut candidate this offseason; despite his recent struggles, it’s harder to argue Rodgers’ ceiling is not immediately higher.
- Rodgers’ 2024 QB+: 72.2, 21st
- O’Connell’s 2024 QB+: 73.8, 20th
- Minshew 2024 QB+: 60.6, 35th
Rodgers posted a 63% completion percentage with a 6.7 yards-per-pass average in 2024, tied for the lowest of his career. He also had 3,897 passing yards with 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Some might think a change of scenery might help him regain some of his old form; others think it’s time for him to retire.