The Las Vegas Raiders are in the midst of a nightmare season, as they are just 2-13 heading into the final two weeks of the year. While they had their best showing in weeks against the Houston Texans, it ultimately was not enough as they suffered a 23-21 loss.
The performance will likely bring concern to fans who are hoping that the team lands the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. After all, Las Vegas' final two games are against a 2-13 New York Giants team and a 6-9 Kansas City Chiefs team that has lost Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew to knee injuries in back-to-back weeks.
Although the Raiders' lone win since Week 1 came against the Tennessee Titans, who improved to 3-12 by beating the Chiefs in Week 16, they could mess up their opportunity to land the top overall pick by winning one of the two very winnable games. Pete Carroll's comments on the team's draft position make sense, but Raider Nation won't appreciate them.
Pete Carroll's comments on the No. 1 pick will draw the ire of Raiders fans
The Raiders' path to selecting first overall for the first time since 2007 is straightforward. If they lose their final two games, they will be the only two-win team and hold the top pick.
Raiders.com's Paul Gutierrez shared comments from Carroll regarding the race to the No. 1 pick.
"I do it really well. I'm not really that concerned about any of that, and I don't think you want me to be."
While Raiders fans are openly hoping for the team to drop its final two games, it is no surprise that Carroll is not concerned with tanking the final two games. First of all, it is unclear if he will even be back with the team next season to help develop a potential rookie quarterback.
More importantly, however, no coach or player would ever admit to wanting to lose games, as it sets a terrible precedent, even if it is in the long-term best interest of the franchise. There is so much year-to-year turnover in the NFL that most of the people in the building would not benefit from purposely losing games.
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Maxx Crosby echoed a similar sentiment in comments shared by ESPN's Ryan McFadden.
“Yeah, I don't give a (expletive) about the pick. I don't play for that,” Crosby said.
Geno Smith also noted the same during his presser on Tuesday.
"We play to win. We deserve to go out there and have a chance to win, so we play to go out there and win. A lot of guys work hard, extremely hard. And, unfortunately, the season has gone the way that it's gone, but we put ourselves in this position, and we've got to finish the season out the right way, so that's what we're focused on inside the locker room."
Similar to Carroll, Raiders fans should not be shocked by the comments from either Crosby or Smith. Players inside the locker room could be competing for their NFL livelihood or contract incentives, while also putting their bodies on the line in a way that would not be justified by tanking.
If Las Vegas can secure the top overall pick, it could be potentially franchise-altering. The team would either have their choice of a rookie quarterback or could look to move the pick for a significant haul. A win, however, would likely result in the team needing to trade up if they want the opportunity to be the first team to make a selection.