The Pete Carroll Failed Experiment in Vegas: Likely Done With Raiders After Just One Season

Let’s be honest, we all kind of saw this coming, didn’t we? When the Las Vegas Raiders decided to bring in Pete Carroll, it felt like a Hail Mary pass thrown by a franchise that has been stuck in a perpetual state of rebuilding since, well, forever. The idea was romantic: bring in the Super Bowl-winning legend, reunite him with Geno Smith, and watch the magic happen.

According to recent reports circling the NFL drain, the experiment is over. Carroll is expected to be “one-and-done” in Sin City, with the Raiders currently sitting at a catastrophic 2-14 record. While owner Mark Davis hasn’t officially pulled the trigger—he notoriously likes to wait a day or two after the season wraps to drop the axe (Excluding Josh McDaniels or Jon Gruden resigning)—the writing isn’t just on the wall; it’s spray-painted in neon lights on the side of Allegiant Stadium.

The Gamble That Went Bust

It’s hard to overstate just how bad this season has been. It started with weirdly high hopes. You had Carroll, you had the acquisition of Geno Smith to stabilize the quarterback room, and you had a roster that theoretically had talent. They even started the year by upsetting the Patriots in Foxborough. For a split second, it looked like the old Carroll magic was working.

But then reality set in. The Raiders have lost 14 of their last 15 games. Their only win in that stretch was against the Titans, a team that only has three wins themselves. That is not a resume you bring to your end-of-year performance review if you want to keep your job.

The low point—or maybe just the most recent low point—was the 34-10 drubbing by the Giants last weekend. When you can’t even look competitive against a Giants team that already fired their own coach midseason, you know things are dire.

Losing the Locker Room

The biggest indictment of the Pete Carroll era in Vegas isn’t just the win-loss column; it’s the vibe. Carroll has always been known as a “player’s coach,” the guy who could get anyone to run through a brick wall for him. But that energy clearly evaporated in the desert heat.

You only have to look at Maxx Crosby situation to see the dysfunction. The franchise star pass rusher literally left the building in frustration last week. Why? The team decided to shut him down for the final two weeks of the season.

To a competitor like Crosby, that screams “tanking,” and it’s a massive red flag that the culture has rotted from the inside out. When you lose the guy who is essentially the heartbeat of your defense, you’ve lost the team. Who knows if he will ever play for the team again?

The Tom Brady Factor

Here is where things get interesting for the future. This isn’t just Mark Davis making decisions in a vacuum anymore. Reports indicate that minority owner Tom Brady is going to play a “key role” in advising Davis on the next hire. Oh, really, because that went so well Carroll Right? Many forget it was Brady who recommended the team to hire John Spytek at GM and Pete Carroll to coach in the first place. He’d better get this one right if Carroll is gone.

Is This The End for Carroll?

At 74 years old, you have to wonder if this is the final curtain call for Pete Carroll. He took a break in 2024, came back for this three-year deal, and it blew up in his face immediately. We all have an expiration date, and it’s clear the game has passed Carroll by. For Raiders fans, Monday can’t come soon enough.