The Las Vegas Raiders have utterly failed during the 2025 NFL season. Pete Carroll has been a disaster as the team's fifth head coach in as many seasons. Things won't be any easier in the final stretch of the season with a tough schedule on the docket. Raider Nation gets it.
But there is still a way to salvage something from this embarrassing campaign and not risk the team's currently very high draft position. For the final quarter of the schedule, the Raiders should be completely, solely, unabashedly focused on playing their young players.
Ashton Jeanty has gotten plenty of run this season, and a handful of other rookies and young players have stepped up to play big roles more recently, mostly thanks to a handful of key injuries. But if Carroll wants to save his job, he has to show some kind of commitment to Las Vegas' future.
Raiders' Pete Carroll must put pride aside and play even more rookies
As it stands now, the Raiders are projected to have four of their rookies start in Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles: Jeanty, Jack Bech, Darien Porter and Caleb Rogers. With Dont'e Thornton Jr. returning from a concussion, he should get every available rep instead of veteran Tyler Lockett.
Both Tonka Hemingway and J.J. Pegues need to be heavy in the defensive tackle rotation on Sunday, Cody Lindenberg needs to get a shot at linebacker, and Charles Grant should start at left tackle instead of Stone Forsythe. That's it. That is the mission. Play the rookies as much as possible.
Winning this game is futile. Nobody will remember whether we won or lost this game, unless it prevents the team from landing the No. 1 pick. This will not even be a microscopic blip in the history of the NFL unless Las Vegas allows it to be by screwing them out of a rightful top draft pick.
This is not to say that playing these rookies would be like throwing in the towel, as they have all shown themselves to be capable players. But rookies, especially in some of their first NFL action, will make mistakes that a defending Super Bowl champion like the Eagles will capitalize on.
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Just think of how much better these young players will be if they get thrown into the fire against a team like Philly. Grant would be tasked with blocking Jaelen Phillips. Rogers would have to stop Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis. Lindenberg would have to bring down Saquon Barkley.
These reps, this experience, they are invaluable for young players. Jeanty proved that he was ready to go immediately, but Bech, Rogers and Porter have all shown flashes and starred when they were given a full opportunity. The rest of the rookie class should be given that same chance.
Carroll may feel like this would be jeopardizing his career, as a likely 2-15 or 3-14 record, on paper, is clear grounds for firing. But if he can get into John Spytek and the organization's good graces by being receptive to a rebuild, that could buy him time in a coaching cycle with weak candidates.
And, who knows? Maybe these young players were drafted for a reason, and they pull off an improbable upset. Winning with veterans who won't be here for the long haul is the worst-case scenario.
By playing the young guys, however, Carroll can't lose. Either the team stays at the bottom of the standings, and therefore atop the draft board, and these players get coveted in-game reps. Or this young core is good enough to beat some of the best teams in the NFL.