After just one season, the Las Vegas Raiders chose to part ways with head coach Pete Carroll. The move didn’t come as a surprise to most, considering the Raiders finished just 3-14, tied for the worst record in the NFL. Carroll is the third straight coach not to last two full seasons with the franchise, and they will now move forward in search of finding the right person to turn this team around.
One question that is sure to follow the Raiders this offseason, once again, is the status of star defensive end Maxx Crosby, who has been very open about his desire to win with this franchise. Firing another coach and starting from scratch could frustrate him and potentially lead to him finally asking for a trade.
In his first comments since Carroll’s firing, Crosby had nothing but nice words to say about the former Raiders coach. Appearing on the Let’s Go podcast, Crosby wished Carroll the best and was thankful for how well the coach treated him in his time with the franchise:
“But I will say, you know, the one thing I did admire about Pete is he was as consistent as they come. He has won for such a long time. He is a Super Bowl champion. He won a national championship at USC. He has been an incredible coach, and he has had an incredible journey. So unfortunately, this thing didn’t work out the way we expected it, but he has done an incredible job and had an incredible career, and he was always awesome to me. Still gonna have that relationship regardless. Had a lot of coaches in my time to say the least, but all of those coaches, you take something from ’em, you learn something from ’em. And just we’re back to the process again and trying to figure out whatever that’s gonna be. I wish him the best. Like I said, he was always incredible to me and treated me amazing. Big shout out to Coach Pete, and we’ll see what happens next.”
Even though he was unable to turn things around and the Raiders struggled mightily this season, it is apparent that Carroll did have the respect of the locker room, and that starts with Crosby. His legacy can’t be questioned despite this season with the Raiders being an overall failure.
For Crosby and the Raiders, the attention now turns to who will be the next person in charge to finally take some steps in returning this franchise to its former glory.
Raiders secure top pick in 2026 NFL Draft
The Raiders did play hard to the end for Pete Carroll, even securing a victory in their regular-season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs. But even with that win, the Raiders still secured the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
