The Las Vegas Raiders showed some fight in the 23-21 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 16, but they still lost. The team dropped to 2-13 and is currently favored to get the No. 1 pick.
That doesn’t bode well for head coach Pete Carroll’s future. There is already talk that the Raiders plan to move on from him after the season, and with the team continuing to lose, it’s not going to quiet that chatter.
The crop of head coaching candidates this offseason is considered weak in comparison to last year’s. San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator and former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh is considered to be among the top candidates.
While Saleh didn’t have a great experience with the Jets, he’s eager to be the man in charge again, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.
“Everyone wants to be at the top of their profession, and they want to succeed at that just to see how far they can go and what they can achieve,” Saleh told ESPN. “Is my desire to get to the top of the profession and hoist the Lombardi one day? Absolutely. Am I in a hurry? No, I love it here.
“Obviously, the desire is there, but at the same time, it’s not desperation.”
Raiders Wanted Saleh to Be Carroll Successor
Saleh wanting to be a head coach again is good news for the Raiders, as they liked him a lot last season. According to Wagoner, the Raiders coveted Saleh as their defensive coordinator, and they were willing to make him Carroll’s successor at head coach, but he wasn’t interested in that setup.
“According to league sources familiar with the discussions, Saleh was the perceived leader in Jacksonville for about 24 hours before Liam Coen opted to take the job after initially declining,” Wagoner wrote. “Saleh also was a finalist for the Raiders’ coaching job then rejected an offer to be the Raiders’ defensive coordinator and the eventual successor to coach Pete Carroll. Saleh finally reunited with the Niners on Jan. 24.”
Would Saleh Be the Right Head Coach for Raiders?
The Raiders clearly liked Saleh a lot if they were willing to name him Carroll’s successor before he coached a down with the franchise. There’s no denying he’s one of the best defensive minds in the NFL.
What he’s done with the 49ers’ injury-ravaged defense has been one of the most impressive coaching jobs of the 2025 season. That said, it’s hard to forget that he went 20-36 in a little more than three seasons as the Jets head coach.
The Jets are a mess, but so are the Raiders. Does he really want to signup to be the head coach of another dysfunctional organization? Plus, do the Raiders truly believe that he could be the one to turn things around? He couldn’t do it with the Jets.
The Raiders have tried retreads at head coach, and it hasn’t worked out. It’s time for the Raiders to embrace a young offensive mind. Until they do that, they’re likely going to end up in the same place they are now.
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