Raiders likely to part with Pete Carroll, open to moving Seahawks' ideal trade target

There are no guarantees in the NFL. Even when a team looks to be much improved on paper, things can quickly fall apart once the actual games begin.

That was certainly the case this year for the Las Vegas Raiders, who were supposed to be one of the most-glowed-up teams in the league after bringing in former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and starting quarterback Geno Smith.

The plane in Vegas never got off the ground, though - and things hit rock bottom last week when they lost the Toilet Bowl to the New York Giants, putting them in the driver's seat for the NFL's worst record and the first overall pick in next year's draft.

The latest reporting from Dianna Russini at The Athletic suggests the Raiders will move on from Carroll - although their dysfunction is somewhat revealed by the nugget that nobody's sure who will actually give him the news.

Raiders expected to axe Pete Carroll

"The Las Vegas Raiders have an inside track to the No. 1 pick in April’s draft and are likely headed toward a head-coaching change in 2026. That’s a significant amount of potential turnover, and the bigger question might not be whether 74-year-old Pete Carroll is dismissed, but who ultimately makes that decision. Is it principal owner Mark Davis? Minority owner Tom Brady? General manager John Spytek?"

A fair amount of the blame has to go on former offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who was fired at the end of November. However, it's Carroll's staff so he shares whatever blame that deserves to go in that direction.

The benefit for the Seahawks is that blowing things up at the top could mean that the Raiders organization will be more amenable to moving their top players - including the guy who's supposedly Seattle's No. 1 trade target. Here's Russini on the Maxx Crosby situation.

Raiders open to moving Maxx Crosby?

"Maxx Crosby’s Raiders future is also being questioned around the league... Many believe Las Vegas will be open to moving its star pass rusher if the relationship remains at an impasse, allowing Crosby, who will turn 29 this summer, an opportunity to compete on a team built to win now."

The Seahawks made no secret of their desire to trade for Crosby last offseason, but they were rebuffed by whoever's in charge around the Raiders facility.

Adding Crosby to the mix would not come cheap - but it would give Mike Macdonald's defense the one thing that it's missing: an elite pass rushing threat on the edge. Heading into Week 18, Seattle has four players with six or more sacks but no true double-digit threats on the roster.

By comparison, Crosby has 10 sacks this season for the fourth time in his career. That goes with 133 tackles for a loss and 164 quarterback hits - the kind of production the Seahawks haven't had in one place since they traded Mike Bennett to the Eagles.

Seattle has a lot of other boxes to check this coming offseason - including multiple lucrative extensions for the class of 2022 and finding an upgrade at right guard. However, if they are going to take a big swing for one player Crosby should be at the top of the list.

Raiders expected to axe Pete Carroll

Raiders open to moving Maxx Crosby?

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