The Las Vegas Raiders were supposed to be a good team, or at least vastly improved, during the 2025 NFL season. By all accounts, they made upgrades at the most important spots by trading for quarterback Geno Smith and forking out the big bucks for Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly.
But not only has it been more of the same for the Silver and Black, but things are far, far worse this year. The Raiders have seemingly reached a level of dysfunction previously untapped, as two coordinators have already been fired, including Kelly, who signed a hefty contract this offseason.
To make matters worse, there seems to be trouble brewing behind the scenes. The blame game is alive and well, but as Raider Nation has started to notice, it is incredibly one-sided. That has made the vibe of this team simply feel broken beyond repair, as another overhaul should occur in Las Vegas.
Raiders should be headed for another offseason implosion
As one Raiders reporter pointed out, there have been several leaks from the building this season already. The first was when ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Brock Bowers was the one who had refused to sit out with a knee injury, despite sustaining damage to his PCL and having a bone bruise.
Then, after rookie guard Caleb Rogers went from starter to a healthy scratch within just days, The Athletic's Ted Nguyen reported that Rogers was so bad during practice that he couldn't start. In fact, he was told that playing Rogers would be disrespectful to his teammates before editing the post.
After Chip Kelly was fired following Week 12, it didn't take long until The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported that it was minority owner Tom Brady who wanted Kelly in the first place. Finally, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that multiple sources told him Kelly barely knew his own playbook.
Bleacher Report's Moe Moton astutely pointed out that all of these supposed leaks have one thing in common: they absolve head coach Pete Carroll of blame. It was Bowers' choice to play through injury, it was Rogers' fault he wasn't ready, and Brady wanted a play-caller who was lost beyond belief.
At least, that is what Carroll wants those around the league and within the fan base to believe. But Raider Nation is not easily fooled. In fact, it doesn't even take a genius to trace back most of the team's issues to Carroll and his decisions or close connections.
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Not only does the team look unprepared every week and they fail to make in-game adjustments, which falls squarely on Carroll, but several of the players and coaches that he brought in this offseason have been active detriments to the cause in Las Vegas.
Smith is the most notorious example, as he was brought in to elevate the offense, but he has dragged them down this season. Backup left tackle Stone Forsythe has struggled mightily for the Raiders' offensive line, and he would've long been benched if he weren't also a former Seattle Seahawk.
Kyu Blu Kelly played for Carroll in Seattle as well, and he's gotten a much longer leash than players performing at a much higher level. Carroll's son, offensive line coach Brennan Carroll, managed to turn an average unit into one that is easily the worst in the NFL and in recent team history.
Things just can't go on like this in Las Vegas. The team seems beaten down, the fan base is as frustrated as always, and the organization's leadership can't be thrilled with the results or the general perception of the franchise.
If Carroll is going to swing and miss on his roster additions, fail to establish a winning culture or act like he cares about the future, and then play the blame game and point the finger for the team's struggles on top of it, the Raiders are not going to have any success.
The team seems broken beyond repair right now, so the only way to get out of this mess is for owner Mark Davis to make the correct decision and fire Carroll after the season if he can't turn things around over the final seven weeks of the campaign.