Pete Carroll has more riding on the 2025 season than any coach in the NFL. Not just for his own reputation, but for the future of the franchise. The Las Vegas Raiders are at a critical juncture and they’re putting trust in Carroll to lead them down the right path.
Here are the 7 biggest reasons why Carroll’s first season is so critical:
1. The direction of the Raiders
Carroll turned around a floundering USC program and a Seahawks franchise that was coming off a 5-11 season under Jim Mora Jr. The Raiders are in the same spot. They were 4-13 last season and haven’t won a playoff game since reaching the Super Bowl in ‘02.
The franchise has had five different coaches over the last 10 years: Antonio Pierce, Josh McDaniels, Rich Bisaccia, Jon Gruden and Jack Del Rio. Each one promised to instill winning ways. They all failed ... mostly in dramatic fashion. “The Raider Way” and “Commitment to Excellence” are relics of the past.
Carroll is expected to build a winning culture immediately. He has done it before but not in a situation like this. There’s something about this era of the Raiders that seems resistant to change (most likely ownership). And a lot of the current players come from the previous era in Las Vegas.
A big part of building a winning culture is actually winning. Carroll faces serious challenges – he inherited a roster that is handicapped by previous bad drafts. And they play in the brutal AFC West with three teams that made the playoffs last season. Nothing tears apart a franchise – even with the best intentions – more than losing.
2. Carroll’s mystique
After he left the Seahawks, Carroll taught a course at USC called “The Game is Life.” He’s a motivator and someone who prides himself on connecting with people. But in Seattle, he always had his record to fall back on. He had only one losing season between 2011 and 2023. Hard to preach about teamwork and attitude when it’s not working.
One of Carroll’s sayings is “always compete.” The Raiders brought him in to light a fire under these players. Even if this team is bad, they have to display high effort every week or Carroll will be considered a failure. Carroll is also known for making work fun. No one has fun when a team is losing. If any team can put Carroll’s famous positivity to the test, it’s the Raiders. If things don’t go well, the fans in the Black Hole don’t want to see their head coach trying to put a smile on players’ faces.
3. Older Coaches
The NFL is a copycat league. Carroll turns 74 on Sept. 15. If he has success and returns the Raiders to stability, owners of struggling franchises will follow suit. Bill Belichick, 73, will get the next opportunity. Teams could also ask if 73-year-old Nick Saban would be interested in the pros again because of all the changes in the college game.
Senior citizens have had success in the recent past. Bruce Arians was 68 when he won a Super Bowl with the Bucs in ’20. Andy Reid is 67. Tom Coughlin and Dick Vermeil won championships in their mid 60s.
Carroll is the perfect coach to change the narrative on older coaches. He looks like he’s in his 50s and he’s still out there in camp throwing footballs and hitting guys. The biggest obstacle to coaching at that age is motivation – Carroll gives off the energy of a young assistant coach just trying to earn a job.
Maybe attitudes around age are changing in society. Joe Biden and Donald Trump are the two oldest presidents in history. Carroll could pave the way for a new golden generation of coaches.
4. Tom Brady’s genius
While Brady’s role as a partial owner hasn’t been clearly defined, his fingerprints are all over the Raiders’ transformation this offseason. Brady must understand how badly this kind of role has gone for other superstars. Derek Jeter was a failure with the Florida Marlins. Wayne Gretzky’s experience as partial owner and coach with the Phoenix Coyotes went terribly. John Elway’s stint as the GM and VP of the Broncos ended poorly.
Brady built his reputation as a GOAT on football intelligence and leadership. Those qualities have been missing for a long time on this team. One risk in hiring Carroll is that it’s a win-now move. If they had chosen a first-time head coach, there’d be more patience. They have a small window to fix a lot of problems. If the Raiders are 4-13 again, Brady would wear it almost as much as Carroll.
5. Mark Davis’ tenure
The problems at the top started before Mark officially took over for his father Al in ’11. The Raiders have hired 15 coaches over the past 31 years. They’ve been restless and impatient. The results for Mark have disastrous – the Raiders are 91-137 since he became the primary owner.
But Davis promised to stay out of Brady and Carroll’s way. “I’ve been telling you all since the beginning of this what I don’t know,” said Davis, via the Associated Press. “I’m going to surround myself with people who do know these things and I’m going to give them the opportunity to do their job.”
Brady and his hand-picked GM John Spytek should keep the owner at a safe distance from the final on-field product. This feels like a second chance for Davis as an owner to let football people run the show.
6. Maxx Crosby’s legacy
Crosby and the Raiders agreed on a three-year, $106.5 million extension this offseason. He will turn 28 in August and has 59.5 sacks in his seven-year career. According to ESPN Stats and Info, his 324 QB pressures is the most by any pass-rusher in the NFL since ’19. A four-time Pro Bowl and two-time All-Pro, Crosby has some work to do to reach the Hall of Fame. But he’s stayed through a lot of the hard times... if he came out the other side a winner, that would make him an all-time Raider legend.
Crosby is like Carroll ... he’s a positive vibes guy. He often talks about his sobriety and how much the people in his life mean to him. It looks like he’ll have the perfect marriage with his coach. That’s why it would be such a big disappointment if the team didn’t improve and Crosby was stuck in the same spot as he’s been all along on this team.
7. Raider Nation’s loyalty
Decades of losing hasn’t watered down the Raiders’ famous brand. They’re still at or near the top of every merchandising and sales list for gear. Part of that is because the logo is and always will be the coolest in the NFL.
It’s possible Carroll, combined with the Brady factor, could test fans in a way we haven’t seen. Expectations are higher than they’ve been in years. If two proven winners like Carroll and Brady can’t turn this around, at a certain point a chunk of fans could give up.
Raiders fans have endured a lot since they last won a Super Bowl in 1983, including multiple moves. They’ve always come back. Carroll better hope he turns things around quickly and doesn’t make the diehards start to wonder just how much more humiliation they can take.
