LAS VEGAS — If there were awards for creative writing in crisis management, the 2025 Las Vegas Raiders might finally hoist a trophy. The franchise may not be winning games, but it’s certainly leading the league in plot twists, anonymous leaks and the kind of finger-pointing that would make a middle-school group project blush.
The latest report paints a familiar picture: dysfunction, disarray and every finger delicately angled away from Pete Carroll, as if the entire season were a crime scene and the head coach were the only one wearing gloves.
It’s adorable, really.
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Pete Carroll’s faultless universe…
According to this season’s rotating cast of “sources,” Brock Bowers reportedly injured himself intentionally, Caleb Rogers faced harsh criticism for his poor practice performance, and Chip Kelly seems to have forgotten what a playbook is somewhere between receiving his last paycheck and boarding the team flight. Conveniently, Carroll appears to have wandered through the wreckage with the innocence of a tourist who took a wrong turn onto the Strip.
But Raider Nation can read a map.
The truth is less mysterious: the team looks unprepared weekly, in-game adjustments are as mythical as a functioning Raiders offensive line, and Carroll’s hand-picked personnel—ranging from Geno Smith to Stone “Turnstile” Forsythe—have been masterclass examples of how not to upgrade a roster. If nepotism were an Olympic sport, the offensive line might finally rank top-10.
The blame game that plays itself…
The leaks all share the same punchline:
“Not Pete’s fault.”
A comedic tagline, though perhaps unintentionally so.
Bowers wanted to play hurt.
Rogers was too embarrassing to put on the field.
Brady hired the coordinator who didn’t know the plays.
If Carroll keeps this up, one more leak might report that he wasn’t even in the stadium for the losses.
The problem, of course, is that Las Vegas has eyes. The franchise looks beaten down and stale and misaligned from top to bottom, and a 74-year-old coach who refuses to adjust isn’t exactly injecting youth into the operation. The team isn’t just losing games; it’s losing direction.
Yet another overhaul? At this point, why stop?
Multiple reports that have surfaced from league insiders point to a looming offseason implosion, but let’s not pretend that is new territory. The Raiders don’t rebuild—they reboot. They’re the NFL equivalent of clearing the browser cache and hoping the website loads better next time.
If Carroll keeps swinging and missing on personnel, culture, accountability and—minor detail—wins, then what choice does Mark Davis have? Stick with the declining returns, or finally acknowledge what everyone else already knows?
At some point, the “blame game” becomes the “same game,” and Raider Nation has watched this particular season far too many times.
The only remaining mystery is whether Davis will pull the plug after seven more weeks… or simply wait for the next leak to break the news for him.
*Top Photo: Getty Images