With the Season Coming to an End, the Raiders are Facing a Critical Decision

The Las Vegas Raiders play their final game of the season on Sunday against their AFC West longtime rival, the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Raiders are either going to finish second with only two or three wins. The Raiders did not have the season they wanted to, in what was supposed to be a season where they showed they were improving and heading in the right direction. They were far from that this season, and they took several steps back in 2025.

With the last game being this Sunday, the Raiders will have to make critical decisions heading into the offseason, but the most critical one is going to be who is going to lead this Raiders team next season. Will it be current head coach Pete Carroll, or will the organization be on the coaching search once again this offseason? That is something that many are going to be talking about leading up to the last game and right after that final whistle blows as the Raiders' season comes to an end.

Dec 28, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll looks on in the first quarter against the New York Giants at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Is Carroll last game on Sunday?

"I do not think that it is going to be a year where we see eight or nine openings," said Jeremy Fowler on ESPN. "But there is 50/50. You know Cleveland and Las Vegas. Those are two places I see as likely; they have done their preliminary work for a potential move. Does not mean they are locked into doing it or that they have decided yet, but those are certainly on my radar. That will make four. Then you bounce around, and you have a lot of 50-50s."

"Black Monday is not always the trigger point, like it could be a Thursday. Like, there is nothing beholden of a team having to have to do it on Monday. Some might not do it on Monday; they will wait.

Las Vegas Raiders Pete Carroll | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

It has been a disappointing season for the Raiders, no matter how you look at it. And when you have a season as they did, everything is on the table and going to be looked at from top to bottom.

No matter who you are, you are going to have to prove why you are right to stay and build the Raiders back up. Another coaching change is not what Raiders owner Mark Davis wants to do, but the way it turned out this season for his team with Carroll, the options and the talks have to be there.

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