The 2025 season was one to forget for the Raiders, but it was also a season where lessons were learned at the top of the organization.
One paper, the addition of Pete Carroll looked like a home run, but the way the coaching staff was brought together and even the process that led to Carroll’s hiring in the first place wasn’t ideal.
Carroll and GM John Spytek never seemed to have the same vision for the team, and neither of Carroll’s coordinators in 2025 were a good fit.
Multiple reports have hinted that Chip Kelly was brought to the Raiders with significant influence from Tom Brady, and it was obvious early that Kelly wasn’t running the offense the way Carroll wanted. The offensive coaching staff had little continuity and the offense was essentially doomed from the beginning.
The Raiders seem to be moving in a good direction now with Klint Kubiak and his hand-picked coaching staff, but it’s fair to wonder if the Chargers aren’t stepping into a messing situation of their own with Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.
Raider Nation Radio host Q Myers talked about the Chargers’ unique coaching dynamic this week.
“I saw videos floating around social media yesterday where it looked like Jim Harbaugh and Mike McDaniel couldn’t even agree on how to hand the ball,” Myers said on the Locked on Raiders podcast.
“It looked like Jim Harbaugh was like, ‘No, you hand it off, you do a handoff this way.’ And he was like, ‘No, we do it this way.’ Again, I don’t know the context of it, but it looked like they were already having a disagreement. So it’s hard to say how they’re going to be. They have a really good quarterback. We’ve been told ever since he came into the league that that’s the kind of quarterback you want to create in the lab. But when is he going to take that next step?”
Like Carroll, Jim Harbaugh is a veteran coach largely set in his ways, and it’s not hard to imagine a scenario where Harbaugh and McDaniel aren’t a great fit.
At the very least, they don’t agree on the best way to hand the football to a running back.
The Chargers’ roster is more talented than what the Raiders were working with a year ago, but it will be interesting to see how successful Harbaugh and McDaniel will be together.
McDaniel has proven to be one of the best offensive coaches in the league, but it’s worth noting that Kelly was the NFL’s highest-paid offensive coordinator in 2025 – so he had the respect of many of his peers, as well.
It might end up being a great fit, but the dynamic between Harbaugh and McDaniel will definitely be one to watch, especially if the Chargers don’t get off to a great start this season.
x: @raidersbeat