Since the firing of former head coach Antonio Pierce, there has been much anticipation for the new coaching staff of the Las Vegas Raiders. And finally, after a long wait, Sin City’s new coaching staff has been confirmed for the NFL’s 2025 season.
Particularly on defense, there is no major change. Patrick Graham is returning as the defensive coordinator and Rob Leonard as the defensive line coach. Additionally, the special teams coordinator will remain the same as well with Tom McMahon.
Before the season begins, this seems to be the best coaching staff in at least a decade. Jon Gruden’s teams were stellar on offense, but horrific on the defensive side of things. In 2020, his offense ranked 10th in points scored, but his club’s defense allowed the third-most points league-wide.
Similar feats were accomplished with Josh McDaniels at the helm. The short tenure of Antonio Pierce was surely underwhelming as well. Pete Carroll has a chance to change the reputation of Las Vegas’ football team with the staff he’s assembled.
Finally, the Las Vegas Raiders have proven coaches
To start, Chip Kelly is a very well-known offensive mind. He has proven to have success both in the college and professional levels.
Raiders OC Chip Kelly NFL offensive resumé:
2013 – Eagles
– #2 yards
– #4 points
(Nick Foles, LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson)2014 – Eagles
– #5 yards
– #3 points
(Nick Foles/Mark Sanchez/LeSean McCoy, Jeremy Maclin)2015 – Eagles
– #12 yards
– #13 points
(Sam Bradford, DeMarco…— Alex Monfreda (@AlexMonfreda) February 2, 2025
Pete Carroll has brought on his sons Brennan and Nick Carroll to the staff as well. Brennan will be in charge of the offensive line unit while Nick is tasked with coordinating the run game. These are not simply inheritance hires; Nick actually worked with the Panthers in 2024 as the pass-game coordinator. Brennan has seen success at the college level working as an offensive coordinator.
Greg Olson stands as another hire to Carroll’s staff, returning to the Silver and Black in a different role. This time he’ll be the team’s quarterbacks coach as opposed to the offensive coordinator; a position he held during two different stints with the Raiders. Olson most recently worked with Carroll in Seattle back in 2023 under the same role he now has in Sin City.
Defense sees continuity with a twist
With Patrick Graham’s return as defensive coordinator, the Raiders coaching staff gets continuity on the defensive side of the ball. There’s no denying this is a positive thing, either. Maxx Crosby, Sin City’s face of the franchise, is surely a fan of his team retaining defensive coaches who’ve earned the right to stick around.
Marcus Robertson joins the team as the defensive backs coach for his second stint. Robertson has worked with talented defenders in his career such as Budda Baker and Justin Simmons. This could be great for the development of a young safety.
Being that many of the starters on defense will be free agents this season, there will be many moving chess pieces. Luckily for the Raiders, they enter the summer with the second-most available cap space across the NFL.
Only time will tell what this new coaching staff can produce.
*Top Photo: Getty Images
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