Going into the 2025 NFL season, there are a few divisions that are clearly going to field two or even three playoff teams, while others are going to be doormats once again (looking at you, South divisions). Everyone with half an NFL brain agrees that one of the best—if not the best—divisions in the league this year will be the AFC West. And that has a lot to do with the last-place team in the division last year: the Las Vegas Raiders.
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They were 4-13 last year, and they didn’t have much on the roster to write home about. That’s not the case anymore, however. They got minority owner Tom Brady to pitch in more. They got John Spytek, one of the architects of that Buccaneers 2020 Super Bowl team, as their general manager. And they got future Hall of Famer Pete Carroll to return to the sidelines as their head coach.
And that’s before we even get to the players they’ve added. No. 6 overall pick Ashton Jeanty is making all the headlines. But… new QB Geno Smith could be the most crucial piece of the puzzle for the club to bridge the gap from last year’s disaster to a competitive team in the AFC West. And Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce shares the same sentiment, saying Smith is the thing that’s most interesting to him about Vegas this year.
“I’m interested to see what Geno looks like in Vegas,” Kelce said on the latest episode of New Heights.
“I’m interested to see how that Chargers team looks one more year under Harbaugh [too], where that culture’s embedded a little bit more. And obviously Sean Payton has done nothing but great things since he’s been in the league, let alone in Denver,” he added.
Travis’ brother, Jason, is also of the mind that the AFC West is going to be very tough. They had three playoff teams last year, and they very well could do it again in 2025. With this lineup of Hall of Fame coaches, they truly could be the first division ever to produce four playoff teams in the same season.
“The Broncos had one of the best defenses in the NFL last year, they’re returning Bo Nix going into his second year. The Chargers are revamped, they look great. The Raiders, Chip Kelly, fast-paced offense. They got Pete Carroll, one of the most successful head coaches. Think about the head coaches in your division: Pete Carroll, Harbaugh, Andy Reid, and Sean Payton,” said Jason.
The Raiders are definitely fighting an uphill battle to make the playoffs in the first year of this new regime. But they could. If Maxx Crosby becomes a DPOY candidate, Jeanty comes out and takes the league by storm, and Smith keeps it cool, they could definitely make some noise.
