The more things change, the more they stay the same. Pete Carroll was a fairly surprising hire when he became the Las Vegas Raiders' head coach, as he was not at the top of their list, but he was supposed to bring a dose of level-headed credibility to an organization that needed it badly.
After an odd end to his lengthy tenure as Seattle Seahawks' head coach, a year away from the game has proven not to be any kind of reset for the 74-year old. His "win-now" edict is not aligned with where the Raiders are currently, and his "comPETE" culture is not applied fairly across the roster.
With the team now at 2-9 during the 2025 NFL season and only one game that truly looks winnable left on the schedule, Carroll himself seems broken and resigned to the reality of the situation. Firing assistant coaches, three so far, will not fix things in the short term.
Analyst offers concise summary of where the Raiders are
Beyond that, it's hard to have confidence in Carroll being able to hire the right replacement coordinators if he gets (or wants) a second year in Las Vegas. Plus, the Raiders are likely to be stuck with Geno Smith as their starting quarterback going into next season.
If Carroll is still the head coach, it's a lead pipe-lock to be the case, for better or worse. But in April's draft, using a Day 1 or Day 2 pick on a quarterback should be on the radar no matter what. And if it makes sense, regardless of Carroll's affinity for his favorite quarterback, the transition to the younger signal caller should begin before next season is over.
Heading in Week 13, Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report offered one sentence to describe each NFL team. His concise summary of the Raiders right now is wholly appropriate, soberingly spot-on, and a dose of reality for Carroll.
"At this point, there's nothing left to do of significance but draft a quarterback and pray he's the man for the job."B/R's Brad Gagnon on Raiders
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That about sums it up. While hoping or praying is not a good strategy, sometimes it feels like dumb luck may be the only way out of this for the Silver and Black. Only poorly-run teams who have no answers otherwise are left to do this, however, metaphorically or otherwise.
The man who was supposed to steady a persistently turbulent ship for the Silver and Black has not done so at all. As Carroll's first season winds down, there are no easy answers, regarding anything, for the foreseeable future.
So, Raider Nation is left to pray that a quarterback who should be drafted next April proves to be an answer. If he is, then great, the team might have gotten lucky. If not, it will be more of the same next season.