Are the Raiders and Pete Carroll a relationship that is going to last more than one year?
Each week it seems a little more likely that Carroll will be done at the end of the season, and league insider Ari Meirov said on Sunday that he believes Carroll and the Raiders are moving in the direction of a divorce.
“The sense that I get… the front office [and] coaching staff, it’s not eye to eye right now. It’s just not and that’s a problem,” Meirov said on the NFL Spotlight with Ari Meirov.
“Let’s make this clear, every team has that. Every coach is thinking about the here and now, and every GM is thinking about the here and now, but also next year, two years, three years down the line,” Meirov continued. “When you’re talking about a 74-year-old head coach, that’s a whole different ballgame… so that dichotomy has been fascinating to follow all year and I think something is going to happen at the end of the year. I just don’t know what it is yet.”
“There’s just a dichotomy of ‘we’ve got to win right now’ verses ‘we’ve got to prepare for the future’ and it’s just not a good balance right now. That’s why I think something is going to happen. Maybe it’s just Pete, because Pete [is] a brilliant coach, good culture guy, great energy, still doing it at a high level, this just probably wasn’t the job for him right now considering where the roster was, where the division is, and all those different factors. So I think something is going to happen. They play the Cowboys on Monday night. By the time everyone hears this, the game will be over…”
An interesting note in Meirov’s comments is that he said these things before the Raiders were embarrassed by the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football.
Nothing about Monday night’s game did anything good for Carroll’s job security as the Raiders played as poorly as they have all year.
For what it’s worth, Meirov is one of many who have suggested in recent weeks that there is a disconnect of some kind between Carroll and GM John Spytek.
Meirov said Spytek’s job is believed to be safe and that would make sense considering Spytek is thought to have signed a five-year deal with the Raiders and is, in many ways, Tom Brady’s right-hand man.
Whatever Brady’s role is with the Raiders, he is comfortable working with Spytek and can operate freely without the fear of unflattering leaks to the media or an eventual tell-all book.
Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see what the Raiders do if they don’t stick with Carroll.
If Carroll doesn’t stay, there is little chance Geno Smith will be back and if Smith isn’t back, the Raiders will back at the ground floor in their search for a quarterback.
10 months ago, Brady came up short in his efforts to lure his top choices at head coach and quarterback to Las Vegas, but he might get another swing at it soon.
Spytek and Brady didn’t exactly walk away from the 2025 offseason with an opening chapter that should be considered particularly encouraging for Raider fans.
Last week, we ranked the team’s five worst moves of the offseason.
For anyone who missed it, here’s the list. As always, your comments welcome below.
5. The decision to NOT re-sign Robert Spillane
4. The decision to NOT draft a quarterback before round 6
3. The decision to NOT add starting-caliber offensive linemen
2. The decision to pass on Sam Darnold in free agency (although Sunday made that decision look a little more reasonable).
And at number ONE… The decision to hire Chip Kelly and trade for Geno Smith
x: @raidersbeat
This team went from bad to worse real quick. No ambition to play hard. Offense is terrible. Special team is lousy. Defense gets the offense great field position over and over but offense goes 3 and out time and time again. No adjustments after half time. Geno not a top rated qb. He is over paid for little success. Can’t scramble for crap. Same old story year after year!!!
Cut/release Geno. Take the 18.5 million cap hit next year and donate it it to the local charities and non-profits that assist/help people suffering from food insecurity by providing food.
Yes, so true and why does G Smith keep taking sacks and not throwing the ball away?
I think it all boils down to the O-line. If you can’t protect the B or block for the RB then you are toast! If Geno had time things might be different. Even Kelly might have a fighting chance if he had an O-line, maybe not but it all starts with the line. Same with the defense, built the lines, both of them!
I agree clean house 😁 get rid of coaching staff Brady needs to quit the media and come over and do his owners duties and bring in people that are willing to work with players and make them accountable for their job
Pete Carroll is doing the same thing that Pierce did, sticking with the wrong QB. But the big difference is that Pete brought in Geno, where Pierce wanted Daniels from the commanders. If Pete wants to keep his job he has to bench Gino.