Pete Carroll’s Days With Raiders Could Be Numbered, per NFL Insider

Liam McKeone | 2 Hours Ago

Pete Carroll’s future with Las Vegas is not certain. / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

There is no denying that Pete Carroll’s first season coaching the Raiders has been a complete disaster. Las Vegas is 2-12 entering Week 16. Carroll has fired two coaches already. Geno Smith has been one of the absolute worst quarterbacks in the NFL after he was acquired to pair with Carroll over the offseason. Carroll’s ability to get the most out of his defensive talent has allowed the Raiders to post average defensive numbers, at least, but everything else has been a catastrophe to varying degrees.

As a result Carroll’s days with the Raiders could be numbered. Reporting for NFL Network on Sunday ahead of the day’s games, insider Ian Rapoport said there’s “doubt” around Carroll’s future in Las Vegas.

“It’s that time of year where we talk about the future of several head coaches. I will start with the Las Vegas Raiders and Pete Carroll. Safe to say, based on reporting from all of us, that Pete Carroll’s future is in doubt in Las Vegas. It’s been a brutal, brutal season. His handpicked quarterback, Geno Smith, has been among the worst in the NFL. He’s fired not one but two coordinators, including Chip Kelly. The offense has been certainly a mess and they have not won in a very long time.

“Now, (owner) Mark Davis is his own guy. He’s obviously listening to several people in the building, including from Tom Brady, but he is his own guy and hasn’t been known to surprise us. It certainly seems, guys, that the competition for the No. 1 pick is the only positive that’s going to come from the regular season.”

The Insiders on @NFLGameDay Morning with @TomPelissero and @MikeGarafolo: #Raiders coach Pete Carroll’s future is in doubt; #Bengals coach Zac Taylor isn't on the hot seat; A look at #Giants candidates, plus #Jets coach Aaron Glenn will return. pic.twitter.com/st2rV0cGLb

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 21, 2025

On Saturday Rapoport and his fellow NFL Network insiders noted Davis will weigh his options as he mulls whether to replace Carroll, but the 74-year-old head coach is “intent on convincing the owner he should return.” However, they also reported “many of those in the building who know Carroll well understand change may be necessary.”

Even in today’s NFL head coaches are usually given a few seasons’ worth of a leash to install their philosophy and make their imprint on the organization before the owner considers replacing them. Especially for a head coach with Carroll’s resume and a situation like the Raiders’, where instant success was not expected by any stretch of the imagination. But there are exceptions when the situation goes so far off the rails nothing can be salvaged, and it seems Carroll’s debut season with the Raiders might fall into this bucket.

Las Vegas has struggled mightily to find any sort of sustained success when it comes to the head coaching position. If Carroll is replaced ahead of 2026 it’ll be the franchise’s fifth head coaching change since moving on from Jon Gruden in 2021. It is incredibly difficult to win games with that sort of organizational turnover. But the on-field product cannot be ignored and Carroll’s team has been putrid this season in nearly every regard.

With a top-3 draft pick all but set in stone the Raiders may want to turn over a new leaf and begin anew once more. But the road back to respectability will remain long as ever no matter the decision about Carroll.

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