Tom Brady Wants Bright Immediate Future for Raiders After Issuing Blunt 2025 Assessment

2025 was a bad year for the Raiders, ending with just 3 wins. With the new changes made across the team, minority owner Tom Brady expects improvement.

Tom Brady Wants Bright Immediate Future for Raiders After Issuing Blunt 2025 Assessment

Tom Brady and Fernando Mendoza (Image via IMAGO)

In Tom Brady’s first year as a minority owner, the Las Vegas Raiders were so bad that they ended up with the first overall pick for the 2026-27 NFL draft. The Raiders selected Indiana alum Fernando Mendoza with that pick.

The Raiders made notable changes to the coaching staff before the draft. Klint Kubiak was appointed as the new head coach, and Kirk Cousins replaced Geno Smith as the veteran quarterback in the locker room.

The Raiders used the draft to reinforce their defense, which was among the worst last season. They drafted highly regarded safety Treydan Stukes, edge Keyron Crawford, and corner Jermod McCoy within the first four rounds.

To help ease the responsibility on Ashton Jeanty’s shoulders, the Raiders drafted Arkansas speedster Mike Washington Jr., selected Oregon alum, wide receiver Malik Benson on day three, a great haul for the Raiders.

Free agent wide receiver Jalen Nailor was signed from free agency, who spent the first few years of his NFL career with the Vikings. Pro Bowl Tyler Linderbaum joined as the starting center.

However, the biggest addition to the Raiders is not a signing or trade. All-Pro edge Maxx Crosby nearly became a Raven until complications in his trade caused the deal to collapse. Crosby is set to take center stage for the Raiders once again.

On paper, the current Raiders roster is better than they had in 2025. More importantly, they are being coached by Kubiak, who won the Super Bowl with the Seahawks a few months earlier.

The expectations surrounding this Raiders lot are immense. Tom Brady expects his team to turn things around in 2026.

I would expect daily improvement [from the Raiders], and I’d expect hourly improvement. I really would. Every day that goes by, when you’re on a good team, every day and every week goes by, you should be better. Like, a good team should be better at the end of the season than the beginning of the season.

Tom Brady said on the Stick to Football podcast

Kubiak is expected to improve the offense. However, the Vegas franchise has a treacherous road ahead. They have drawn the sixth toughest schedule for the new season. The combined win rate of their opponents from last season is 153-136-0, or 0.529. Among them are nine playoff teams.

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A brief walkthrough of the Raiders 2025 adventure

Veteran Pete Carroll came out of retirement to coach the Raiders in 2025. Carroll helped the team lure in Smith as QB1 and traded for Kenny Pickett from the Browns.

Tom Brady Wants Bright Immediate Future for Raiders After Issuing Blunt 2025 Assessment
Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza attended the University of Indiana in college (Image via IMAGO)

Smith won three games, threw 17 interceptions (most in the league), leading to Carroll’s early firing. Tre Tucker’s 57 catches for 696 yards and 5 touchdowns were the Raiders’ best receiver. Brock Bowers, who set franchise rookie records for a tight end a year earlier, registered 680 yards and scored 7 TDs.

Jeanty rushed 266 times for 975 yards (3.7 yards per carry) and scored 5 rushing touchdowns. The Heisman finalist also caught 55 passes for 346 yards and scored 5 touchdowns.

The Raiders had the worst overall offense in the league. They averaged 245.2 yards per game and scored a grand total of 25 touchdowns (fewest in the league).

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