The Las Vegas Raiders have quietly but steadily put together a much-improved roster.

They brought in a culture-building head coach in Pete Carroll, and he hired a strong staff and a familiar face to help.

That’s why quarterback Geno Smith is warning the rest of the league.

“Let ’em sleep. I don’t want them to see us coming. We’re working in the shadows. When it’s time to go under those bright lights, we’ll be ready,” Smith said, via NFL Network.

“Let ’em sleep. I don’t want them to see us coming. We’re working in the shadows.”@GenoSmith3 is confident in his @Raiders team heading into the season. @RapSheet @OmarDRuiz pic.twitter.com/4RWr87PbXS

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 4, 2025

The Raiders have plenty of catching up to do with the rest of the league, and the AFC West in particular, but they have some interesting pieces and should fare much better than they did last season.

Of course, the bar isn’t particularly high, but with their defensive core, a much-improved quarterback situation, and a Super Bowl-winning head coach, there are more than enough reasons to be optimistic.

This team has a rising star in tight end Brock Bowers, who dominated and looked like a wrecking ball in the open field as a rookie despite having one of the worst quarterback situations in the game.

They also have one of the best pass rushers in the league in Maxx Crosby, who’s thirsty for revenge after missing a chunk of last season with an injury.

If that wasn’t enough, they also added one of the most promising running backs to enter the league in years by selecting Ashton Jeanty in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The division will be difficult, but for the first time in years, it looks like there’s a legitimate chance to dethrone the Kansas City Chiefs.

Though the Raiders might not be at that level yet, they’re not going to be as far away as they’ve been in recent years.

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