There has been no shortage of news coming out of Sin City lately. Since Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll dismissed offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, a public relations battle between the two has emerged, leaving the truth difficult to pin down.
Reports from NFL Network claim Kelly botched his own play calls, while others suggest the Raiders’ offensive struggles fall squarely on Carroll. The network also noted that Carroll inserted himself into Kelly’s game planning and attempted to replicate elements of his Seahawks offense.
It is not hard to believe Carroll influenced Kelly’s approach; Patrick Graham’s defense already mirrors many of Carroll’s Seattle concepts. Still, the details of what actually transpired between Carroll and Kelly remain murky—and will likely stay that way until more leaks surface.
The Raiders have been a circus under Pete Carroll…
What is clear, however, is that Carroll’s Raiders has been a disjointed operation. With two coaches already fired, staff cohesion appears nonexistent. The situation suggests Carroll did not get to choose his own coordinators, and that lack of alignment has snowballed into a season-long dysfunction.
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The Athletic’s Mike Sando wrote that Carroll lacked the leverage to choose his own coordinators in Las Vegas. Due to desperation to re-enter the NFL, Carroll accepted those terms.
When Carroll took the Seattle job in 2010, he had leverage to hire his own staff without interference.
When Carroll took the Las Vegas job in 2025, he was desperate for an NFL return. Carroll was able to hire his sons, but when he did not hire coordinators from his past, such as Darrell Bevell and Gus Bradley, it showed that others influenced the decisions.
Carroll appears to have accepted the Raiders job under conditions he likely would not have considered earlier in his career. A desperate Pete Carroll has proven to be a poor fit in Las Vegas. He believed he could succeed with coordinators he did not select, but that experiment quickly unraveled. Just ask Kelly or former special teams coordinator Tom McMahon.
The Raiders’ front office resisted giving Carroll full control last offseason, and there is little reason to think they will grant it now. Unless leadership reverses course and commits fully to a Carroll-built staff, the franchise will need to look elsewhere for its next head coach.
More reporting might eventually provide a different perspective, potentially making Carroll appear more sympathetic. However, at this moment, his tenure seems to be approaching its conclusion. He accepted a compromised arrangement due to limited options, which is seldom a solid foundation for a successful regime.
Given the circumstances, it makes sense for general manager John Spytek and part-owner Tom Brady to reset the coaching structure next season and target a rising candidate rather than one whose best years are behind him.
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