It’s not a reach to list the Raiders among the greatest organizations in the NFL, with plenty of recent valleys to go along with the peaks. Born as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960, the then-Oakland Raiders enjoyed a solid decade in the renegade league, winning 77 of their 140 games. Only the western rival Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs (87) and Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers (86) were better in the regular season.
Oakland and its long-standing “Commitment to Excellence” was also the league champion in 1967, ultimately losing to the NFL’s Green Bay Packers at Super Bowl II in January 1968.
Success was also evident when the Raiders joined the NFL as part of the merger in 1970. There were three Super Bowl victories, coming after the 1976 and 1980 seasons (while in Oakland), then after the ‘83 season when owner Al (“Just Win Baby”) Davis unceremoniously moved the team to Los Angeles (13 seasons).
The death of Davis in 2011 left the team with his son, and Mark Davis eventually moved the franchise to Las Vegas in 2020.
Success has not come easily in Sin City, with the Raiders compiling records of 8-8, 10-7 (lone playoff appearance), 6-11, 8-9, and 4-13 this past (2024) season.
Winning just four games stunk when compared with the three divisional foes in the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, and Denver Broncos winning 15, 1,1, and 10 games, respectively.
Statistically deficient (obviously) on both sides of the ball, Vegas bounced coach Antonio Pierce after last season, employing the adage that “everything old is new again” in the process. Seventy-four-year-old (in September 2025) Pete Carroll is set to become the oldest coach in the history of the NFL.
Carroll is the Las Vegas Raiders coach 31 seasons after his first pro gig with the New York. This will be the fourth stop (one season in New York, three with the New England Patriots, and 14 with the Seattle Seahawks), compiling a 170-120-1 record.
Pinnacle of his career was a Super Bowl win with the ‘Hawks after the 2013 season.
There was also a nine-season stint of tremendous success collegiately at Southern California, NCAA sanctions notwithstanding. While with the Trojans, the team was quite popular with college football prop bets.
Here’s some more info about Pete Carroll and his new task of rebuilding the Raiders.
Who is the Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders?
Pete Carroll was named the Las Vegas Raiders head coach in late January of 2025. He will turn 74 years old in September (2025), becoming the oldest coach in the history of the league. Caroll is the 24th coach overall, combining their days in the American and National Football Leagues.
Who is the Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders?
When the Las Vegas Raiders coach fired Antonio Pierce after one full year in 2024 (record of 4-13), the team hired Pete Carroll. Carroll will begin a 19th season (fourth team) as coach in the pros.
Final Thoughts
With the addition of offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and the return of defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, Carroll has assembled one of the better coordinator groups in the NFL.
What the team needs now is a quarterback.
It’s hard to win in the NFL without a quarterback and there’s a good chance Aidan O’Connell will be the only quarterback with NFL experience on the roster when the new league year begins.
With no clear path to a great quarterback in the draft or free agency, Carroll will rely heavily on the most accomplished quarterback in league history to help identify the next franchise quarterback in Las Vegas.
For the sake of the fans and everyone involved, the Raiders desperately need to get it right with their next quarterback.
What is the point of this column besides telling us (with subheads even) three times that Pete Carroll was hired as HC? How unfortunate that it does not approach the promise of the headline: What to expect from the Raiders in 2025. I gather that columns must come once a day, but columns that repeat week-old quotes from “insiders” only to have the same quotes appear again the next day make me annoyed. There is plenty to write about the Raiders. Let’s have some columns about possible draft choices, debates about which positions are the weakest and need shoring up, who is who on the OL and how can we improve, etc. Have some profiles of players who will stick around. Get creative and stop the endless rehashes.
I wish we could get a Cam or Sanders atleast Fields. Wilkins get healthy and ready. Hope Pete works out. I love Raiders.