Last week the Las Vegas Raiders tabbed Super Bowl-winning head coach Pete Carroll as its next head coach.
After a 4-13 finish in 2024, turning to the winningest coach in Seattle Seahawks history feels like a solid direction for a franchise in transition.
The Raiders need stability and to reestablish a winning culture. Carroll’s track record suggests he’s the perfect candidate to provide that.
It’s easy to see why Raider fans would be excited to welcome Carroll to Las Vegas. But, what do analysts nationally think of the hire?
ESPN analyst Ben Solak shared his grade on the Raiders’ hiring of Carroll.
Grade: B
Carroll might not be a hire with tons of fireworks and joy, but he’s exactly what the Raiders need. They have needed to return to adulthood and culture to lead their organization — a guy with experience, a track record, a formula for winning. That will help yank them up out of the gutter, where they’ve been for the past few seasons, and back to some respectable level of contention.
Even if you think Carroll is washed and lacks schematic innovation — both of which I would argue are untrue, as he did plenty things differently in his past few years in Seattle — this can work. Carroll’s time in Seattle ended because he struggled with shaky personnel and a declining quarterback. Now, how he fills out his staff is a big question. He has a deep Rolodex, but does he know any young innovators? Other than that, this is a solid hire. – Solak, ESPN.
The Raiders get a proven franchise-builder in Carroll, which feels like a must at this juncture.
Carroll brings a 181-131-1 mark to Las Vegas, including a 137-89-1 record in the regular season and 10-9 mark in the postseason during his 14 years with Seattle. The Seahawks advanced to the playoffs 10 times under Carroll’s watch and won Super Bowl XLVIII to cap the 2013 NFL season.
Carroll also won a pair of national championships with USC in the 2003 and 2004 college football seasons.
With the hiring of Carroll, the Raiders have their fifth coach, including interims, since the franchise moved to Las Vegas in 2020. Carroll is also the ninth coach, including interims, since Raiders owner Mark Davis took over in 2011.
The most pressing issue now for Carroll and the Raiders is to finalize filling out the coaching staff and to find their franchise signal-caller. Can the Raiders get that accomplished at No. 6 in the 2025 NFL draft or even at the top of the second round?
If the answer is yes, Carroll has the NFL coaching history to reposition the Raiders’ franchise among the top of the AFC West and perhaps the league.