Sin City’s football team went out of their way to put in work at every turn throughout the offseason–that’s what you do when you’re aiming to win as many games as possible, just as Pete Carroll and the Las Vegas Raiders are.
It’s all about winning for Pete Carroll and the Raiders heading into Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season. Not just a game or two, either; the whole thing.
That’s right–the goal for Carroll and his players is to be Super Bowl bound. Not in any number of years down the line; right now, laying the first brick to that path down on September 7th against the Patriots in New England.
“What we’re asking these guys to do, to play as well as anybody who plays this game, we’re not setting the expectation to try to win a few games and make some progress. That’s not what we’re doing here,” Carroll explained during the team’s press conference last Thursday.
“We’re trying to take this as far as you can possibly take it. It’s the only perspective that they have heard from me, and that’s the only one I can even imagine. I can’t even think of any way else.”
The Raiders’ additions this offseason fully support Carroll’s words, too. From veteran guard Alex Cappa who was signed prior to the start of free agency, to the latest move that welcomed now-former Cincinnati Bengals captain Germaine Pratt to the Silver and Black.
Trading for multi-time Pro Bowler Geno Smith certainly went a long way in showing this team means business as well.
Now, six weeks after the 2025 NFL Draft, Las Vegas’ offseason program has reached its end; a program that, in full, answered many questions surrounding the Raiders heading into the next phase.
Including who would win in a wrestling match between Pete Carroll and offensive tackle Thayer Munford. Spoiler alert: it’s Carroll.
Las Vegas Raiders offseason program comes and goes; multiple questions receive answers
Ashton Jeanty will do more than simply run in 2025
By now, nearly all football fans are familiar with Ashton Jeanty‘s record-setting 2024 campaign. Although he finished 28 rushing yards short of breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record at the college level, the Boise State superstar was still able to claim records of his own.
Take his 1,970 yards after contact, for example.
That number was 250 more rushing yards than any runner in the FBS was able to total in general this past season; pre- and post-contact combined. More than that, it stands as the most yards after contact any FBS runner has ever managed to accumulate in one campaign.
Or, Jeanty’s record-breaking 152 forced missed tackles, 16 of which came against Penn State’s smothering defense. 16–a number zero players not named Ashton Jeanty were able to reach in any game, during any week, against any level of competition.
The second-most after Jeanty’s 152 in the forced missed tackle column this entire decade? 104; practically 33% less.
Some of that is well-documented information. What isn’t well-documented, however, is the 38 passes Jeanty caught during his ’23 campaign.
Give Chip Kelly that kind of weapon, the same Chip Kelly who had two separate running backs catch 22-plus passes last year, and be anything but surprised when the first-year Raiders offensive coordinator starts drawing up plays for them in the passing game.
Now is the time to be anything but surprised. Throughout the team’s offseason program, Smith and Jeanty have been developing great chemistry through the air.
On one such passing drill rep, Geno took over under center after seeing Jeanty lined up as the pass-catcher. Perhaps equally unsurprisingly, the 34-year-old dropped a perfect ball right in the bucket for his rookie running back.
Expect to see Jeanty used in the passing game this upcoming season more than a time or two–a reality Smith himself seems to be preparing for.
Pete Carroll, Chip Kelly ready to work 2TE sets with Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer
The Brock Bowers portion of this is obvious, isn’t it? A rookie this past season who rewrote the tight end rookie record books, additionally taking home the record for most receptions in a season by any rookie regardless of position, Bowers is commonly referred to as the top player on Sin City’s offense.
And it isn’t easy to argue otherwise.
Michael Mayer, on the other hand, has a bit more complicated of a situation. One that isn’t so complicated in the eyes of both Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly, however.
“I thought Mike had a great offseason with us,” Las Vegas’ 73-year-old head coach explained.
“We started out going heart-to-heart and him understanding what we’re all about, and he embraced it and took it as well as anybody could take the challenge of bringing it day in and day out. He had a great camp.”
It’s not just coach talk; Mayer did indeed have a great camp. That’s a sentiment Chip Kelly shares when it comes to the former second-rounder.
“I think Mike has been outstanding since I got here,” Kelly claimed two weeks back at a press conference.
“Mike’s been fantastic since Day 1 of the offseason program when we started early in April. What he did just in the weight room, what he’s done in the meeting room, and then what we did in Phase 2 and then what he’s continued to do here.
“Really, really excited about him.”
More to the point, Kelly has been busy dialing in on new, innovative coaching strategies. His latest spark of genius is one called a two tight end set.
“I checked–you can play with two tight ends in a game at the same time,” Kelly noted.
That’s something that wasn’t uncommon in Philadelphia when Kelly was the head coach of the Eagles. In 2013, for example, tight ends Brent Celek and Zach Ertz each totaled 50-plus targets throughout the year.
Philadelphia joined Washington and Cincinnati as the only three teams to have two tight ends with 50-plus targets that season.
The Las Vegas Raiders rookie class will have a big impact under Pete Carroll
As far as how this section pertains to sixth-overall pick Ashton Jeanty, no explanation is needed.
The same can be said for second-rounder Jack Bech who fans recently noticed remains unsigned; a non-issue that shouldn’t cause any amount of concern, proven true by Bech showing up to all offseason activities with intent to build strong bonds with his teammates.
It may be a bit less obvious when it comes to Dont’e Thornton, however, who’s spent ample time rolling with the 1s through Las Vegas’ offseason program.
And has impressed all of his coaches and teammates while doing so.
Just ask Maxx Crosby, the face of the Raiders franchise, who didn’t mince words when it came to the 6-foot-5 wideout.
“Dont’e Thornton. That dude we drafted from Tennessee. The big receiver; another freak,” said Crosby earlier in the offseason program.
“And it’s crazy because, a kid like that who’s, you know, he’s had success in college but hasn’t hit his full potential yet, seeing him on the field and realizing what he can be, from a player perspective you’re like, ‘Holy sh-t. This dude can be something serious.'”
Still, the impact this class should have goes beyond Thornton and the three Raiders selected before him.
Star left tackle Kolton Miller sang praises of his two rookie offensive linemen while veteran defensive tackle Adam Butler acknowledged the abilities of his two rookie position-mates.
And as for Pete Carroll? He can’t single anyone out.
“The young guys have done really well,” Carroll stated.
“The guys that we chose in the draft have all made a mark at some point and showed that they deserve being here. It looks like a really good class all the way through, both offensive linemen, both defensive linemen.
“Ashton had an excellent camp. Dont’e and Jack, they did their stuff. It’s a good looking group.”
Kolton Miller wants to stay a Raider moving forward
Left tackle Kolton Miller has been the heart and soul of Sin City’s offensive line since the move to Las Vegas, and even prior to that. He’ll need a new deal for that to continue being the case as he’s down to the last one on his current contract.
That hasn’t stopped the 29-year-old from showing up to as many offseason activities as possible–both mandatory and voluntary.
Why? Because Miller wants to be a “Raider for life,” in his own words.
“I love it here and I don’t want to go anywhere else. And I only know one way to do it. That’s showing up, getting better each day.”
Miller started his ’24 campaign being responsible for six sacks through the first four weeks; two more than any other offensive lineman across the entirety of the NFL. But as a wise man once said, it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish.
And Miller finished his season about as strong as one possibly could.
From Week 5 onward, the team’s former first-round pick was on the hook for one single sack. Miller ended the year with an 82.2 grade via Pro Football Focus, the 16th-highest league-wide among all tackles despite his ugly first month of regular season football.
Fortunately for Miller, John Spytek, Sin City’s general manager, frequently preaches the importance of trench play. That bodes well for a stud left tackle with one year left on his deal who wishes to stick around long-term.
And Spytek’s name bodes well with the transition into this article’s final section.
John Spytek has serious pull among those familiar with him
The ‘Tom Brady Effect‘ is one fans hoped would be in full force upon Brady becoming a minority owner of the Raiders. Instead, what fans got was the ‘John Spytek Effect’.
It’s a pretty good one, too. It is, after all, a big reason why Brady went to Tampa Bay after leaving New England.
And it’s a reason why joining the Raiders was an easy decision for guard Alex Cappa, who agreed to terms with Las Vegas prior to the start of this year’s free agency.
It also played a major factor in Devin White suiting up for the Silver and Black this year.
When asked what made him want to come to Sin City, white had a rather simple answer: John Spytek.
“We got a great relationship. When I got drafted, ’19, he took me out to dinner,” said White.
“We have a genuine relationship. Myself, him, his kids, his family. They used to wear my jersey and everything.”
Once again, the Spytek family is in possession of Devin White jerseys. Only this time they’re black with silver numbers, not red with pewter trimmed white numbers.
In the meantime, that’ll do it for the Las Vegas Raiders’ offseason program. But the work to be done prior to the regular season’s start is far from over.
“These next six weeks are huge,” Pete Carroll noted following the final day of mandatory minicamp.
“These guys have to come back in great shape. I challenged every one of them to be in the best shape of their life.
“They’ve all got plans on how they’re going to get that done. We’ll see what happens when they return.”
*Top Photo: Wade Vandervort /Las Vegas Sun
Las Vegas Raiders Wrap Up Mandatory Minicamp: Everything That Happened