The Las Vegas Raiders are 2-10 after their Week 13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. As a result, the situation continues to get ugly for head coach Pete Carroll, and the question is whether he will be one-and-done with the Silver and Black.
After firing offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who was one of the top-paid coaches at his position, it shouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility that the Raiders pull the plug on Carroll after one season and admit this hiring was a disaster.
Should Las Vegas decide that Carroll is out, the next question will be what type of coach they will pursue. Raiders insider for Sports Illustrated, Hondo Carpenter, gave honest insight from talking to people around the league on how attractive this head coaching job is heading into the offseason.
“Talking to a lot of people around the NFL, this is not going to be an attractive job,” Carpenter said on the November 30 edition of the “Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast.” “So either they’re going to have to make some big-time assurances to a big-time coach, or they’re going to have to go the youth route. And if you go the youth route, you are rolling the dice. I’m not rooting against the franchise, but if you go the youth route, you’d better hope they hit big.
“And those guys usually don’t, but you better hope they do, because the way this franchise has been conditioned, you go get a young coach and he has a rough year, and next year could be rough. Then your fan base is going to be calling to get him fired, and you’re right back where you are.”
Pete Carroll Could Be Coaching for His Raiders Job
Las Vegas have five games left on its 2025 NFL schedule, and Carpenter believes that these last handful of games are the final test for Carroll to convince the front office to give him a second season.
“Can [the Raiders] all get on the same page with Pete? And if not, are [they] willing to overpay with a coach that [they] can all get on the same page with or do [they] go with a new guy, [a] new beginner, and then [they are] going to have to help him put together a staff. And what if that doesn’t work? because those are things you got to look at.
“There are pieces to this that go into this, and I think these last five games are [a] total evaluation. Total evaluation. You’ve got to look at every opportunity with a magnifying glass over the totality of the organization.”
Geno Smith’s Raiders Future Is Also In Question
Carroll and his coaching staff might not be the only ones coaching to stay with the Raiders in these final five games. Smith is also under fire for his performance this season, and in the loss to the Chargers, the veteran quarterback completed 18 of 23 passes for 165 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
As a result, CBS Sports NFL analyst Damien Harris believes it’s time to cut ties with Smith this offseason after the team’s elimination from playoff contention with their loss to the Chargers.
“A change of quarterback is what needs to happen,“ Harris said on the November 30 edition of “CBS Sports HQ.” “That’s where this starts. Geno Smith has not been good all season long, whether it’s the turnovers or not seeing the field properly.
“They’re not finding ways creatively to get Ashton Jeanty going. Brock Bowers has been limited. At times, he’s been injured. When he plays, he still shows those flashes, but they’re just not doing enough to scheme that guy open and get the production out of him that you need.
“You get rid of one of your top receivers, Jakobi Meyers, and that leaves you depleted in the pass catcher position. In totality, this team needs to get better in a lot of areas, but the biggest place I’m circling with a red marker is quarterback.”
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