Richard Sherman spent the first seven seasons of his 11-year career playing under now-Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll. The fifth-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft quickly established himself as one of the league's premier cornerbacks and a key member of the Legion of Boom.
He was among those to take notice after Carroll's Raiders debut resulted in a 20-13 road victory over the New England Patriots. Sherman noted that his former coach has a system that has consistently worked throughout his career.
While expectations have been largely tempered for the Raiders during the 2025 NFL season, Sherman also revealed that he fully expects Las Vegas to compete for a postseason spot in the first year under their new head coach.
Richard Sherman predicts the Raiders will contend for postseason
Sherman knows plenty about Carroll's system and his ability to lead a team. The five-time All-Pro cornerback recently discussed that, while many believe the system may be outdated, he expects the Raiders to be a postseason threat in 2025.
"I think Pete's going to do great. He has a proven system that works. And so, when people say, 'Oh, Pete Carroll isn't keeping up with the times, he's still running that old system that nobody runs,’ it's sound. It's sound as ever. And you could see it in that Raiders defense,” Sherman said. “They're right there where they're supposed to be. It's a bend, but don't break. They're swarming. They're playing really fast. You got guys where they're supposed to be. They got an interception in the game. They got four sacks in the game. And they're playing smart football. Then offensively, Geno Smith, who can deal. He's a great processor in the NFL, and it shows week in and week out. ... I think the Raiders are going to surprise people this year. I think they're going to be solid. I think they're going to be fighting for that seven seed."
“Pete’s system is still sound. Bend but don’t break, swarming, 4 sacks, a pick… Raiders are gonna surprise people.”
— Richard Sherman Podcast (@RShermanPodcast) September 8, 2025
Sherm says the Raiders’ defense vs the Patriots proved they can fight for that 7 seed 👀#NFL #RaiderNation #Patriots pic.twitter.com/ClQjEmYOYF
This would obviously be a major leap for the Silver and Black, as they won just four games last season en route to having the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. But teams crawl out of the gutter and into the playoffs every year.
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The former superstar cornerback suggested that his former head coach has all the pieces to make a run in 2025. While the defense was viewed as a weakness entering the season, the unit stepped up big in Week 1 as they allowed just three points, a garbage-time field goal, in the second half.
Sherman added that Carroll will have the Raiders in contention to win every game, claiming the team will not have many contests where they are down multiple touchdowns. He noted that even when the Seattle Seahawks weren't great, they didn't lose by much very often.
This is the mark of a great coach, as every week is a different challenge in the NFL. Most games in this league are close or competitive, and often the difference comes down to a coach preparing their team for these varying situations.