The Raiders and Pete Carroll have parted ways after just one season, a 3–14 campaign that earned Las Vegas the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft. The move is surprising on its face, given that Carroll was the first major hire rubber-stamped by minority owner Tom Brady, but less surprising given what we reported at the time of the hire: Carroll was on a shorter-term contract, which made firing him less financially perilous for owner Mark Davis. The Raiders always had the option to back out if the evidence of progress wasn’t there.
One thing I cannot take my mind off after watching the Raiders pivot is this: Nick Caserio, now believed to be among the top executives in the NFL, began his term overseeing the Texans with the hires of back-to-back one-and-done coaches David Culley and Lovie Smith, the former of which was hired (from my perspective) in a more overt attempt to lose games with a coach on an unusually short contract. Caserio is steeped in the same New England culture from which Brady came. Could the Raiders continue taking proverbial dart throws at the head coaching position until the team garners enough draft capital for a serious run?
