The Las Vegas Raiders haven't had much success over the last few years, but there is some optimism surrounding the team this season due to the offseason changes, which included hiring Pete Carroll as head coach and bringing in Geno Smith to be the starting quarterback.
Though Las Vegas is expected to be much improved in 2025, one NFL insider clearly hasn't been paying attention to the team.
During an appearance on the Bill Simmons' podcast on Sunday, The Athletic's Dianna Russini made one of the worst Raiders takes in recent memory. Russini said that Las Vegas doesn't have any star players outside of edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
Russini also says that minority owner Tom Brady is involved in all aspects of decision-making for the franchise, but doesn't want to reveal his role because he doesn't want to be embarrassed by the performance of the team, which Russini calls a dump.
"He [Tom Brady] is involved in everything!" Russini said. "He's in contact with all the stars of that team [the Raiders]. I say stars, but outside of Maxx Crosby, right [Russini implying that the Raiders don't have any other stars]."
"I don't think Tom Brady wants to say he's the owner of a team that's gonna be a dump."
Russini's take on the Raiders is filled with false claims.
First of all, the team definitely has more stars than just Crosby. Tight end Brock Bowers was a first-team All-Pro selection as a rookie in 2024, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers is coming off a career year last season with 87 catches and 1,027 receiving yards, and don't forget about the addition of Smith at quarterback, who was a Pro Bowler in 2022 and 2023 and led the Seattle Seahawks to three straight winning seasons as the starting signal-caller.
Though Russini's reporting on Brady being involved with everything with the Raiders could be correct, it's also worth noting that the Hall of Fame quarterback stayed away from Las Vegas' draft operations in April, outside of endorsing the pick of quarterback Cam Miller in Round 6.
Overall, Las Vegas isn't expected to be a high-level team in 2025. However, under Carroll, they should be better and take a step in the right direction. Russini's comments should add more fuel to the fire.
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