The Las Vegas Raiders find themselves in their yearly unenviable position as the 2025 NFL season comes to a close. They didn't land their top choice in the coaching cycle, Ben Johnson, and their contingency plan, Pete Carroll, has been an utter disaster. Las Vegas is 2-12 and uncompetitive.
Johnson's Chicago Bears, of course, are 11-4 and not far from being the NFC's top team. This dichotomy has proven to Raider Nation once again just how important it is to land the right coach. Unfortunately, the upcoming coaching cycle isn't exactly robust with projected future stars.
There are no viable successors currently on the staff, so Las Vegas will have to try its luck finding someone outside the building. After all, it is crystal clear to the fan base that Carroll is not close to being the answer. But is that obvious to those in the building? The latest report is a bit conflicting.
Latest Pete Carroll-Tom Brady report has Raiders fans confused
On Saturday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero went through the coaching futures of all 13 teams currently eliminated from the postseason. They summarized what a trainwreck this year has been for the Silver and Black, and they speculated about the future in Sin City.
"It all has the fate of 74-year-old coach Pete Carroll very much in doubt. No stranger to making changes, mercurial owner Mark Davis will weigh the feedback he gets from all sides of his building as he considers the possibility of another. Meanwhile, Carroll is intent on convincing the owner he should return.
"Expect (minority owner Tom) Brady -- who has spent little time in the Raiders building as he balances his broadcasting duties on Fox and other business interests -- to increase his presence as the decision closes in. Many of those in the building who know Carroll well understand change may be necessary.
"Davis is his own man, though. And all the voices around him report to him. He has won three titles in four years with the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces and believes he can replicate that success with the Raiders. Whatever Davis wants to do ultimately is what will happen, and it's not yet clear what that will be."
These plugged-in insiders are openly saying that Carroll's future is in doubt. That is a good thing. However, Carroll being intent on convincing Davis that he should return means that no firm decision has been made yet, which is, in a way, expected, but also disappointing.
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Fans want to hear rumblings that Carroll is a lame duck and that he's essentially coaching these last three games for fun. Brady being involved more with the decision-making, however, should bode well for the majority of Raider Nation who want Carroll gone.
Brady and Spytek are close confidants, and there is a clear disconnect between Spytek and Carroll. When push comes to shove, it stands to reason that Brady will take Spytek's side, and ideally, Davis will then side with them as well, ousting Carroll. It seems like some close to him see that as necessary.
But fans can't help but hold on to a bit of pessimism as they read the last line of Pelissero and Rapoport's report. They are correct that Davis can be a bit of a wildcard, and he is notoriously inept at giving the right coaches more leeway and cutting ties with those that need to be gone.
On the one hand, Carroll can't have much job security, and Brady's being more involved could spell doom for him. But on the other hand, Carroll isn't acting like a coach who fears for his livelihood, and Mark Davis is his own man. So, nothing is decided, at least not publicly. But there's an obvious answer.