Las Vegas hiring Pete Carroll is somehow a lose-lose for team and coach

Major change was sure to come after the Las Vegas Raiders wrapped up their disappointing 4-13 season, and sure enough, Tom Brady and Co. elected to shake things up in a major way, firing both Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco. The Raiders wanted a change at head coach and GM in an attempt to really turn things around.

The Raiders filled their GM void by hiring John Spytek in a move that made a lot of sense, but still needed a head coach. Ben Johnson was their ideal fit, for obvious reasons, but not even the greatest quarterback in NFL history could convince him to make the move to Vegas.

With Johnson off the board, the Raiders wound up pivoting to hire Pete Carroll. On the surface, this is an awesome hire. Carroll has 18 years of NFL head coaching experience and, of course, helped lead the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl win back in 2013.

While the Raiders couldn't have done much better in terms of finding an experienced head coach, the question of whether Carroll is the right fit for the Raiders and if the Raiders are the right fit for Carroll must be asked. Honestly, it's tough to make the argument that this makes much sense for either side.

Both Raiders and Pete Carroll are clear losers from Las Vegas' HC decision

The Raiders just went through the experience of an inexperienced head coach, and it's safe to say it did not work out well at all. Antonio Pierce was fired after just one full season. Rather than taking another risk, the Raiders, understandably, wanted to hire an experienced head coach that they know can do the job well.

With that being said, though, is Carroll really the right fit for the Raiders? The 73-year-old is going to take Romeo Crennel's title as the oldest head coach in NFL history. The Raiders really want the oldest head coach in NFL history to help them get started on what should be a rebuild?

From Carroll's perspective, where's the appeal here? His interest in the Chicago Bears opening made sense with that team ready to win now with the right roster moves and coaching in place, but the Raiders have virtually no shot of competing in 2025. Not only is their roster one that needs a ton of work in virtually all areas, but the Raiders are in the AFC West, a division that had three playoff teams in 2024 and could easily have the same three get back there in 2025. He gets to be one of 32 head coaches in the NFL and gets to work alongside Tom Brady, but this Raiders team isn't exactly close to competing right now.

Clearly, both sides are happy with this decision, but it could be one that, in short order, both sides look back on and regret.