Las Vegas Raiders - Full 2025 Off-Season Simulation

Overview

After Antonio Pierce was fired, it was time to do a full off-season simulation for the Las Vegas Raiders. We assembled an entire coaching staff, devised a long-term plan for sustained success, and went through free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft. We built a 90-man roster for the upcoming season, and a tentative 53-man roster for 2026. The cap outlook was tracked through 2027, and explanations were written for just about every move made - including coaching relationships and how they fit into the vision for this team. Although it may not be the most likely scenario, everything was completed with realism in mind within the context of the simulation. The link below will take you to a Google sheet containing a full summary of our simulation. Enjoy:

Link to Full Las Vegas Raiders Simulation Summary

Starting Point

The starting available cap space of over $100 million is excellent, and there are some key pieces we can build around. On offense, we want to keep our two excellent tight ends on the field as much as possible. On defense, we want to bring in talent to complement Crosby and Wilkins.

On offense, we ended up trading for a quarterback, drafting a first round running back, and paying a wide receiver over $30 million per year. On defense, we filled our holes with high-value free agents both internally and externally. Overall, we made drastic changes along the offense to completely change the identity of this football team, and transitioned on defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4 system.

Final 90-Man Roster

Final Coaching Staff

Strengths

The run game is the biggest strength after ending the 2024 season 32nd in rush EPA. Ashton Jeanty and Dylan Sampson should be an excellent one-two punch, and our 12 personnel sets will be ridiculous. This system should feel somewhat familiar to JJ McCarthy from his days in Michigan, and should not be too terribly difficult to operate in year one.

On defense, our secondary should be a strength if Charvarius Ward returns to form. Ward and Hufanga are reunited with coach Daniel Bullocks, we brought back Tre'von Moehrig, and we drafted Trey Amos in the early second round. We should also have a strong special teams unit in all phases.

Weaknesses

The offensive line has some question marks, which are compounded with the offensive line coaches lacking experience. If this proves to be an issue after year one, we will strongly consider bringing in a new offensive line coach. Either way, the offensive line will be a focal point of the 2026 off-season and NFL Draft.

Another potential weakness is the wide receiving core. In a pass-heavy offense, this group would not suffice. We like the playstyles of our receivers for how the offense is supposed to operate, but the room is not designed to make defenders miss in open space. If this becomes an issue, we will go after another playmaker in the 2026 NFL Draft.

On defense, the glaring issue is the defensive interior. We still have personnel better-suited to play in a 4-3, which is why we brought in several low-cost nose tackles behind John Jenkins. Perhaps this coaching staff will transition to 4-3, but it is not how they have historically operated.

Moving Forward

This simulation was a great way to understand where the Raiders stand as a franchise. There are so many possible directions this organization could take, and this is just one possible path. I think that if I were to start over, I would have tried to get defensive coaches who historically run 4-3 fronts, such as Robert Saleh. Overall, I am very happy with the coaching staff and personnel. While ideally we draft an edge rusher, wide receiver, or offensive tackle in the first round, Jeanty allowed us to play to our strengths and see what the final roster would look like with an elite talent leading the backfield.