The Las Vegas Raiders knew that they needed to make changes this offseason after a historically bad four-win campaign in 2024. They obviously fired Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco after just one season, replacing them with winners like Pete Carroll and John Spytek.
While Spytek always seemed like he was in the cards due to his relationship with minority owner Tom Brady, Carroll was not exactly the apple of the Raiders' eye. At first, the team, especially Brady, was enamored with then-Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
Johnson was the top candidate in the coaching cycle, and he seemed to seriously entertain the job in Las Vegas. But once he took the head coach position with the Chicago Bears, his agent admitted that they were using Brady and the Raiders as leverage, which struck a poor chord within the fan base.
Raiders' loss to Bears is cruel reminder of Ben Johnson offseason drama
Raider Nation was still happy to land Carroll, however, who many felt was the next best option. In Week 4, the team had a chance to prove that they ultimately made the better decision by taking down Johnson's Bears at Allegiant Stadium.
Unfortunately, things did not pan out that way. While the loss falls primarily on the shoulders of quarterback Geno Smith, Carroll's team did not do enough to outlast Chicago. Johnson and his team won 25-24 courtesy of a blocked field goal attempt with just seconds remaining.
This close loss was a brutal reminder of the team's dealings with Johnson this offseason, and it stings worse knowing that he could have been the team's coach. The fan base is not quite giving up on Carroll yet, but things need to start trending in the right direction again, and soon.
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After an opening weekend win against the New England Patriots, the team has dropped three straight contests, putting them at 1-3. They got soundly beaten by the Los Angeles Chargers on national TV and got whooped by the Jayden Daniels-less Washington Commanders before losing to the Bears.
Whereas Johnson started 0-2 and has now pulled off two straight victories to right the ship, it feels like Carroll and the Raiders are losing control of their season a bit. They played an overall good game yesterday, but it still wasn't enough to beat a 1-2 team at home with a full week of rest.
Knowing what they know now about Johnson, Raider Nation is surely still glad that they went with Carroll. But that doesn't mean that Sunday's loss was any easier to palate, considering who it came against. Carroll and his team need answers, or the fan base will start asking even more questions.