Pete Carroll’s return to the NFL sidelines was a 180 from what he had anticipated when he turned the Las Vegas Raiders coach. Carroll mentioned the Raiders would win “a bunch of video games” in his first season. As a substitute, he led Las Vegas to a 3-14 document — his worst as a coach — and the staff fired him on Monday morning with the 74-year-old 17 video games into his three-year deal.
Carroll strongly believed that his historical past of profitable (9 seasons with a minimum of 10 wins and a Tremendous Bowl XLVIII victory) could be sufficient to place the Raiders heading in the right direction. He was “blindly optimistic” concerning the expertise on the roster and was reminded all through a brutal season that the Raiders have been additional away from being aggressive than he had hoped.
Las Vegas misplaced by double digits in 9 video games and was shut out twice.
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Quarterback Geno Smith threw a league-high 17 interceptions. Carroll fired offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and particular groups coordinator Tom McMahon midseason. Regardless of the addition of rookie working again Ashton Jeanty, the Raiders completed final in dashing yards (74.9 per recreation).
The philosophies of Carroll and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham by no means fairly meshed. Las Vegas was twenty sixth in factors allowed (26.3) and twenty fourth in defensive effectivity (44.81).
The Raiders’ disastrous season served as a reminder that Las Vegas is trending towards a full rebuild. The Raiders will accomplish that with Carroll out of the image and having to seek out their fourth head coach since 2023.
“I’ve by no means even dreamed it could be like this,” Carroll mentioned. — Ryan McFadden
What does this imply for the locker room — and the franchise?
Gamers loved taking part in beneath Carroll and would not have minded him staying. On the similar time, they perceive it is a results-driven league, and the Raiders took a step again after final season, after they received 4 video games beneath former coach Antonio Pierce. By bringing in Carroll and reuniting him with Smith, the Raiders tried to be aggressive straight away, regardless of the expertise of the roster suggesting in any other case.
Transferring ahead, the Raiders will most definitely embrace a rebuild. That does not essentially imply it is going to be a protracted course of. Las Vegas already has a few proficient younger gamers in Jeanty and tight finish Brock Bowers. The Raiders are projected to have 10 draft picks, together with the primary choose, and the second-most cap house within the league. — McFadden
What went mistaken with the Raiders?
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Carroll may need put himself in a nasty spot when he confidently outlined his daring expectations for the season at coaching camp. Regardless that he was decided to win straight away, common supervisor John Spytek mentioned he was centered on constructing for the long run.
Las Vegas struggled on either side of the ball all year long. The Raiders have been close to the underside in nearly each offensive class. On protection, they have been suffering from poor tackling, an incapability to get off the sector on third down and inconsistencies in pressuring the quarterback. Defensive finish Maxx Crosby completed with 10 sacks, however the unit as an entire completed thirty first in strain charge (26.6%) and tied for twenty seventh in sacks (29). — McFadden
How does the 2025 season have an effect on Carroll’s legacy?
Although this Raiders season was about as disastrous because it may very well be, it would not drag down Carroll’s legacy a lot, if in any respect. Carroll is much from the primary coach to hold ’em up a number of years later than he ought to have, however he is likely one of the few coaches to win a Tremendous Bowl and a nationwide championship.
The injuries are uncooked now, however Carroll’s 2025 will shortly fade right into a background of disappointing Raiders seasons throughout the 2010s and 2020s, ending up a trivia factoid in his profession bio. And if this primary choose turns into a franchise-changing quarterback, properly … — Ben Solak
How fascinating is the Raiders’ coach opening, and how much coach may they be in search of?
The important thing to all of this, from every little thing I have been advised, is Tom Brady. Although Spytek is making the calls and the offers, Brady has immense affect on the decision-making. He led the pursuit final offseason of teaching candidate Ben Johnson and quarterback Matthew Stafford, however the Raiders did not get both. So, they pivoted to Carroll and Smith. That did not work, so anticipate Brady to be aggressive to find his man at coach this offseason.
Lots of the hypothesis has included coaches with Michigan ties (Jesse Minter?), Patriots ties (Brian Flores?) or candidates the Raiders have explored previously and can be found once more (Vance Joseph? Robert Saleh?). The job shall be extra fascinating to candidates who know Brady a bit and are OK along with his degree of affect on organizational decision-making. And the Raiders will want a concrete plan at quarterback to make it a fascinating job. Having the No. 1 choose within the draft may assist if the possible coach is enamored with one of many high prospects beneath heart. — Dan Graziano
What ought to the Raiders do with the No. 1 choose and what does that imply for Geno Smith?
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The Raiders’ clear want on the high of this draft is discovering a franchise quarterback to go together with the younger offensive playmakers whom Las Vegas has already acquired. Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) is the highest passer on this class, and he would signify a transparent imaginative and prescient for the longer term in Las Vegas. His robust pocket-passing capability would pair completely with Bowers and complement the Jeanty-led run recreation.
Mendoza has thrown 36 landing passes and simply six interceptions in 14 video games. Smith could be retained as a placeholder for the rookie, or he may very well be on one other staff subsequent season, however a change at QB is coming. — Matt Miller
