ClutchPoints
Raiders fans do not have to wait long to see their team in action again. The 2025 NFL season officially kicks off in one week on Thursday Night Football. That makes this the perfect time to make some last-minute bold predictions ahead of the 2025 season.
Las Vegas made some huge changes this offseason, which makes it difficult to predict how they’ll handle their business this fall.
The Raiders upgraded at head coach by adding Pete Carroll. They also traded for QB Geno Smith and added a potential superstar in Ashton Jeanty.
But there are still questions about the team’s secondary, as well as the pass catchers not named Brock Bowers. The Raiders undeniably got better this spring, but it remains to be seen if it will be enough to make a difference this year.
Will the Raiders shock the NFL in 2025? Will they crash and burn just like in 2024? Or something in between?
Below we will explore three Raiders bold predictions ahead of the 2025 NFL season.
Ashton Jeanty received a ton of hype before entering the NFL, and rightfully so.
Jeanty had a special 2024 season at Boise State. The superstar running back had 374 carries for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns. He took the college football world by storm and almost broke Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record.
That’s the kind of thing that will get you noticed.
The young running back has already received hype, with many analysts predicting Jeanty win Offensive Rookie of the Year. He was also the early betting favorite to win the award after the 2025 NFL Draft.
It is easy to understand the hype.
Jeanty is a rare talent. He should receive plenty of opportunities to succeed in Pete Carroll’s offense.
But all of that said, I’m predicting that Jeanty will not win Offensive Player of the Years.
There’s really only one reason. He’s not a quarterback.
Realistically, this award almost always goes to a quarterback. In fact, the last time a non-QB won the award was Garrett Wilson in 2022. Brock Purdy was the best quarterback drafted that year, but only played in nine games. So there was not much competition for Wilson at all.
ESPN’s Seth Walder explained that other elite offensive weapons have been crushed by quarterbacks in recent seasons.
“This award is just so tilted toward quarterbacks,” Walder explained. “It’s not that other positions can’t win, as Garrett Wilson and Ja’Marr Chase each won in the past five years, but the QB has the edge in a close race. Justin Herbert beating out Justin Jefferson (by a lot!) in 2020 was evidence of that. Ward was the clear-cut QB1 in this class, and I like how the Titans fortified their offensive line ahead of his arrival.”
That means that Cam Ward is the one who Jeanty needs to worry about.
The only way I can see Jeanty winning the award is if...
