NFL analyst makes unlikely pick for Raiders' top 2025 MVP candidate

The addition of quarterback Geno Smith is easily the Las Vegas Raiders' biggest of the 2025 offseason.

The Raiders had a huge need at the most important position in sports, and Smith gives them a definite upgrade after the pairing of Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew struggled mightily in 2024.

With Smith, the Raiders now have a better chance to post the kind of offense that can at least make them highly-competitive in the AFC West. And, if the Raiders show vast improvement, chances are it'll be because of Smith.

Despite that, Pro Football and Sports Network's Brandon Austin doesn't think that Smith is the team's top MVP candidate for the 2025 season.

Instead, he picked tight end Brock Bowers.

Let’s start by saying a tight end has never won NFL MVP, and it’s a long shot that one ever will. But Brock Bowers isn’t your average TE, and he might be the closest thing the Las Vegas Raiders have to an MVP candidate in 2025.

Bowers is coming off a historic rookie season in which he shattered records, showing he was worthy of the enormous hype he was receiving entering the NFL.

But this pick is still surprising. That's because, as Austin points out, a tight end has never won the NFL MVP award, and usually the award goes to quarterbacks.

However, if there was ever a tight end capable of breaking that trend, it's Bowers, who possesses an ability to put up video game numbers at a position not typically known for huge receiving production.

If Bowers can have an even better season and help propel the Raiders to the playoffs, he could be in the conversation when the campaign ends. 

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