The Las Vegas Raiders are in the midst of yet another brutal campaign during the 2025 NFL season. They're just 2-6 and sitting in last place in the AFC West by a country mile, but still don't have a projected top-5 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, so neither the present nor future is incredibly bright.
After hiring a 74-year-old head coach in Pete Carroll and trading for a 35-year-old quarterback in Geno Smith, the Raiders clearly expected to compete right away. Not only have they failed to do that, but they've failed to even remain close in four of their first eight games.
To add insult to injury, several of the other candidates that Las Vegas coveted during the coaching cycle are having success elsewhere. But the icing on the cake is the fact that a coach whom the Raiders did not even interview is thriving, and it was on full display in Week 9.
Mark Davis should be filled with regret as Pete Carroll got outcoached by Liam Coen
Liam Coen, the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, walked into Allegiant Stadium without his star linebacker Devin Lloyd, two-way threat Travis Hunter and a handful of key players banged up. But they outlasted the Raiders in overtime 30-29, pushing them to 5-3 on the season.
Last year, Coen was the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so he was in the same building as current Las Vegas general manager John Spytek. Despite the two presumably having a relationship, Davis and the Raiders' hiring crew never even requested Coen for an interview.
In fairness, most thought that he would return to Tampa Bay, but the Jaguars made an aggressive pursuit and locked him down as their leader just a day before Las Vegas made things official with Carroll. The Raiders seemingly could have had him with the right pitch, but they chose against it.
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This has already come back to haunt them, as Coen led Jacksonville to a win on Sunday, which was a crushing defeat for Raider Nation. While the Jaguars are ascending with their head coach, who has not turned 40 yet, Las Vegas is plummeting into chaos with the oldest head coach in NFL history.
Ben Johnson, who was the apple of the Raiders' eye during the coaching cycle, already came to Allegiant Stadium and beat Las Vegas in a game that was decided on the final play. Coen's doing the same stung doubly, as it seems like these young coaches are already running laps around Carroll.
Davis has maintained his belief in the veteran coach, but he also made sure to point out that he is not afraid to rip off the Band-Aid. If glaring signs like this keep flashing in the Raiders' face, it won't be long until things are starting from scratch again in Las Vegas.