Las Vegas Raiders fans expected more out of this season. After a disastrous 2024 campaign, the Raiders fired head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco. The Raiders then hired John Spyteek as Telesco's replacement, and brought along former Super Bowl champion head coach Pete Carroll. When looking at his tenure with the Seahawks, Carroll always had the team competitive.
In what seemed to be impossible, the Raiders actually look worse this year than they did in 2024. Entering Sunday, the Raiders are 2-9 on the season before their game against the rival Los Angeles Chargers. Things have gone so poorly this season, that Carroll already fired special teams coordinator Tom McMahon and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Due to this, Carroll is running out of scapegoats, and his resume may not be enough to keep his job.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport mentioned on Sunday that while Kelly was fired and given blame for the offense not clicking, the offense was actually Carroll's. Rapoport says that now, Carroll is on the hot seat due in part to the lack of wins.
The Insiders on @NFLGameDay Morning with @MikeGarafolo and @TomPelissero: #Eagles coach Nick Sirianni won’t change play-callers; The #Raiders season has coach Pete Carroll on the hot seat; #Colts QB Daniel Jones will play despite a fracture in his fibula. pic.twitter.com/1DBBHg8DBm
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 30, 2025
"So what does this all mean? It means the 'win-now' coach in Las Vegas has not done very much winning at all. It certainly puts Pete Carroll on the hot seat in what has been a difficult, difficult season in Las Vegas," said Rapoport.
Ian Rapoport reports that Pete Carroll is on the hot seat after disastrous first season with Raiders
When the Raiders hired Carroll, the expectation from fans was that he'd at least get the team playing respectable football as they began retooling the roster in their image. They brought in, seemingly, a quality starting quarterback in Geno Smith, who has familiarity with Carroll during his time with the Seahawks.
Yet, they have played anything but that. Instead, it was an all-around disaster. Firing two coordinators in 11 games? That doesn't exactly bode well for Carroll's chances of locking down his job security.
Carroll first fired McMahon after the team's disastrous, 10-7 Thursday Night Football loss to the Denver Broncos. The Raiders saw a punt get blocked and Daniel Carlson miss a game-tying field goal, and it was enough for McMahon to be shown the door out of the facility the next day.
Then, there was Kelly, who was let go last week after the Raiders lost 24-10 to the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders offense averaged just 3.6 yards per carry in that game, while Smith was sacked 10 times. After his firing, reports circulated that Kelly had been calling plays that weren't installed in Las Vegas' offensive game-plan. But as Rapoport mentions in the video clip above, those who studied the Raiders' film, the offense was actually similar to Carroll's with the Seahawks in 2023.
"Talking to people who know this offense very well, people who studied this offense, played against it, they do not believe it was Chip Kelly's offense. They believe it was Pete Carroll's offense, specifically, the Pete Carroll offense from Seattle 2023. Sounds to me if Chip Kelly had to do this again, would not have taken this job," said Rapoport.
Unless the Raiders turn things around during their final six games of the season, it seems like there is at least a plausible chance that the team will move on from Carroll after just one year.