Raiders 2025 NFL Schedule Released for Jeanty, Geno, Carroll, Tom Brady's 1st Year

The Las Vegas head into the 2025 season with a completely new look.

Tom Brady is now a minority owner, Pete Carroll is the new head coach, John Spytek took over as general manager, Geno Smith was signed to address the quarterback position and the team made a big splash in the first round of April's NFL draft, selecting Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.

But will it be enough to go from a 4-13 record last year to a winning campaign? Are the Raiders now trending up after an offseason of change, or will it be business as usual for a franchise that has managed just one winning season in the past eight years?

Let's take a look at the slate the Raiders will face as they attempt to answer those questions.

Analysis

The Raiders don't have an easy schedule, with nine matchups against playoff teams from a season ago. Six of those are in AFC West alone, while the Raiders will also tangle with the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders and Houston Texans.

They also have potentially tricky matchups against a number of teams who look poised to be improved from last season, including the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears.

But there are very winnable games on this schedule.

The Jacksonville Jaguars made a splash at the draft, trading up for Travis Hunter, but they are rebuilding. The Indianapolis Colts look like a team that will hover around .500 again. The Tennessee Titans have hope in Cam Ward but are far from being contenders. The New York Giants should be better than last season but don't have a playoff roster just yet. The Cleveland Browns have the most cluttered quarterbacks room in the sport. The New England Patriots are in the very early stages of their own rebuild.

Predicting the Raiders to reach the postseason feels hasty, given their tough division. But this is a team that absolutely should improve upon last year's four wins and fans are excited as StubHub revealed a 123 percent increase in interest after Jeanty's selection.

Pivotal Matchups

If the Raiders are going to have any chance to reach the playoffs this season, they are going to have to fare better in the AFC West than they did a season ago, when they were winless in the division.

The issue is that none of the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos got any worse.

The Chiefs have topped the AFC three seasons in a row, and while some of their key pieces are getting older, any team with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid is formidable. The Raiders now that better than most: They are just 4-20 against the Chiefs since 2013, and just 2-12 against Mahomes.

The Chargers continue to craft a roster in the mold of Jim Harbaugh, and already made the postseason last year. Drafting Omarion Hampton and signing guard Mekhi Becton should improve the Harbaugh's ground-and-pound scheme, while Justin Herbert will have another season to develop with breakout wide receiver Ladd McConkey.

Finally, the Broncos added a number of weapons for Bo Nix, including tight end Evan Engram, rookie running back R.J. Harvey and rookie wideout Pat Bryant. The team also added some upgrades on defense and is looking to prove last year's surprise playoff appearance wasn't a fluke.