The Las Vegas Raiders have spent a lot of money to improve its roster, but the rest of the AFC West has been improving as well.
All things considered, it’s been a great offseason for the Las Vegas Raiders and it’s only going to get better if the organization has a great draft.
We all know who the Raiders are picking with the No. 1 pick. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is far and away the best QB prospect in the draft this year and he will join a heavily improved Raiders squad that has spent tons of money in free agency to add reinforcements.
Only time will tell how well the Raiders will do in Mendoza’s rookie season, but Mendoza should have a solid year behind Tyler Linderbaum, the highest-paid center in the National Football League.
Unfortunately for the Raiders, despite all of the upgrades, the American Football Conference West division has gotten stiffer.
The Kansas City Chiefs, after an abrupt end to its 11-year postseason streak, went out and made several moves to improve its roster which included signing Super Bowl Most Valuable Player running back Kenneth Walker III.
The Los Angeles Chargers, who had a great regular season but faltered in the playoffs, improved its offensive line which hindered the franchise throughout the season but mostly in the playoffs. Los Angeles lost one key player (Odafe Oweh) but also retained key players (Khalil Mack, Teair Tart) and brought in Mike McDaniel to lead the offense.
And most recently, the Denver Broncos finally added the offensive playmaker it has been seeking since last season. The Broncos acquired Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and a 2026 fourth-round pick (111th) in exchange for Denver’s first-round pick (30th) and third- and fourth-round picks (94th, 130th).
Waddle, the sixth-overall pick in 2021 by the Dolphins, has had an incredible career thus far. The 27-year-old put up three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to begin his career, with the latter two coming alongside fellow star WR Tyreek Hill.
Waddle’s first three seasons looked like this:
2021: 140 targets, 104 receptions, 1,015 yards, six touchdowns
2022: 117 targets, 75 receptions, 1,356 yards, eight TDs
2023: 104 targets, 72 receptions, 1,014 yards, four TDs
Waddle joins a pass-heavy offense that contains star wideout Courtland Sutton and plenty of complementary receivers.
The Raiders played the Broncos well last season, believe it or not, but the games may be tougher this time around. In 2025, the Broncos beat the Raiders 10-7 on Thursday Night Football in Week 10 and 24-17 in Week 14, but the Raiders hung with the best team in the AFC.
This should be an exciting year for the AFC West, but the Raiders will probably have to take a back seat to the other three teams for another year.