With their blowout loss to the New York Giants on Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders are now in position to have the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. But make no mistake, after hiring Pete Carroll last offseason, this was not the expectation for this team.
Carroll and the Raiders spoke frequently about pushing for a return to the postseason and restoring this franchise to its past glory. But the opposite has been the case as the Raiders have sunk even further and are now on a 10-game losing streak heading into the final week of the season.
The team’s struggles have led many to question whether Carroll is the right person to lead the Raiders and whether they would be better off cutting their losses after just one year. But for his part, Carroll believes he still has the support of Mark Davis and the ownership group, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk:
“I do. From all the guys I’ve talked to, I do feel like I have their support,” Carroll said. “What does that mean? I don’t know, but our conversations have been really good.”
Carroll did not reveal any details of the discussions he has had with Raiders ownership, but from what he was told, it seems as if he feels he will be back next season, still leading the charge to get this Raiders team back to being one of the premier NFL franchises.
The Raiders have been unsuccessful in finding the right coach for the job so far, as Josh McDaniels didn’t last two seasons, and Antonio Pierce lasted just one season before the team turned to Carroll. So far, results haven’t gotten any better, but there is also no guarantee that moving on from him would be the right move, either, as constant change at the top rarely works out as well.
The Raiders certainly have some pieces to build around, including a pair of Pro Bowlers in tight end Brock Bowers and defensive end Maxx Crosby, but there is still a lot of work to be done, and it remains unclear whether Carroll is the right person for the job.
Pete Carroll would ‘love’ to stay around for Raiders rebuild
One concern about Pete Carroll going forward is his age, as he is the oldest active coach in the NFL. As such, many would assume that he is not looking to be part of a rebuild in which the Raiders are clearly going through, but the head coach pushed back on that assumption.
