As the saying goes: You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. For Pete Carroll, he saw his hero's reign come to an end in Seattle, and he had a chance to let his coaching legacy speak for itself despite a terrible end to his tenure with the Seahawks. Instead, he embarked on his villain arc with the Las Vegas Raiders that has now spiraled out of control.
Coming out of retirement was a terrible decision based on the Raiders' 2-8 start to the 2025 season. Carroll was supposed to inject life into a team that has been irrelevant for years now. He brought Geno Smith with him and drafted Ashton Jeanty early in the first round. But things have gone exactly like you’d expect they would, and well, let's just say Carroll probably didn’t come out of retirement for this.
Which makes you wonder why he decided to forego retirement at all? It’s not like the Raiders were in a good position to begin with. He doesn’t need to prove he can turn an organization around; he won a national championship with USC and then won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks — one of three coaches to complete both in their coaching career.
Pete Carroll left retirement just to stain his coaching legacy
I could understand it if Carroll got a job that was too good to pass up — if that even exists with his resume and age — but to come back to the NFL just to take over the Raiders is puzzling. It’s not like Vegas was a healthy organization before he got there, so the fact that things are bad shouldn’t be a shock.
Carroll is probably regretting coming out of retirement for this. Unfortunately, this will ultimately leave a nasty stain on his coaching legacy. He didn’t have anything to prove and instead, proved maybe he’s not as good as he used to be. People were willing to accept that when he was in Seattle, but in Las Vegas, he was supposed to look a whole lot better than he has — and doesn't have any good will to fall back on with the fan base.
I’m not bashing him for having a rough first season, I’m bashing him for having the roughest season of his career. The fewest games he’s ever won in a single season is six, and right now that seems like a lofty goal for this Raiders team.
Pete Carroll deservedly takes blame for Raiders shortcomings, but will they get better?
We’ve seen just how bad this Raiders team truly is, but the question is: Can they actually get better in the future? Is Carroll the coach that’s going to bring them back to prominence?
After Vegas' loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night, Carroll made it clear he’s the one to blame. Nobody is going to question that, but they will question how he let things go awry so quickly. He was tasked with taking a step forward this year, and while that feels like a long shot, you have to wonder if the Raiders will see him as the answer moving forward.
Had the Raiders won even four or five games at this point, maybe there’s less pressure on Carroll. They only have three wins though, and they don’t look like they’re going to turn things around anytime soon. So was Carroll the right answer all along? This isn’t the type of job you leave retirement for.
Carroll was either desperate for money or desperate to coach. Either way, he’s now desperate for results. That’s what he’s used to delivering. I don’t think he should be afforded the opportunity to change things next season, but if he is, anything less than contending in the AFC West and there will be real questions about what Carroll was exactly thinking when he took the Raiders job.