The Las Vegas Raiders have a new outlook for next season. After treading in mediocrity for a while, 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 help find and develop talent.
A quicker path back to relevance, though, is spending in free agency to try and compete for the playoffs. According to Yardbarker, that is the path the Raiders will choose to go down this offseason.
Las Vegas Raiders Predicted to Accelerate Offensive Rebuild
Despite former head coach Josh McDaniels eventually moving on from Derek Carr, the veteran quarterback was clearly devoted to the Raiders. It remains to be seen if the New Orleans Saints keep him around after a head coaching hire of their own, but his days seem to be numbered in the Big Easy.
Instead, Carr could return to Las Vegas, who may wait a year before drafting their next franchise quarterback. Last season, before injuries, Carr was having a solid season, after the Saints exploded out of the gates with back-to-back 44 and 47-point games. It ultimately unraveled, but there’s little doubt he could be a bridge quarterback — if not more — in 2025.
With Carroll now in charge instead of McDaniels, he might be open to Carr’s reunion in Sin City.
Speaking of Carroll, Yardbarker is also predicting that he will bring along a familiar face, Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf.
Coming off an unsteady season, the Seahawks may have already seen the best of Metcalf. In 2024, he finished with 992 receiving yards, the third-least of his career. Additionally, he wasn’t as potent in the red zone either, scoring just five touchdowns.
Even so, he can still be productive and headline a receiving corps, especially one amid a rebuild. Playing alongside a stable quarterback in Carr and a coach he’s familiar with might give him a runway to extended production, too.
For a Raiders team that finished 29th in offense, according to PFN’s Offense+ metric, any kind of upgrade would be a massive boost. Both Carr and Metcalf would help make Las Vegas competent, if not feisty, in 2025.