The 2025 season has been nothing short of a nightmare for the Las Vegas Raiders. At 2-12, with blowout losses stacking up and zero wins in the division, the team is staring down one of the worst finishes in franchise history. And while the on-field product has left fans frustrated, head coach Pete Carroll’s comments off the field haven’t done much to ease the tension.
Carroll, known for his trademark optimism, hasn’t wavered in tone-even as the losses mount. But that relentless positivity, which once felt refreshing in the offseason, now feels disconnected from reality.
After the Raiders’ latest defeat, a lopsided loss to the Eagles in Week 15, Carroll addressed the media with a familiar mix of upbeat language and vague reassurances. This time, though, his words hit a little differently.
Asked what positives he could take from the game, Carroll’s only offering was that “nobody got hurt.” That’s a tough sell when your team has just been outclassed for the ninth time this year. But it was Monday’s follow-up press conference that really raised eyebrows.
When asked whether he felt he was coaching for his job over the final stretch of the season, Carroll didn’t hesitate: “No, I don’t feel like that at all. I really don’t. I’m well beyond that.”
It’s a bold statement from a coach overseeing a 2-12 team. Whether it was a reflection of confidence in his standing with the organization or simply a misread of the moment, it didn’t land well. In a season where accountability is at a premium, saying you're “well beyond” job security concerns can come off as tone-deaf-especially to a fan base hungry for answers and direction.
Carroll did acknowledge the team’s struggles and the likelihood of a rebuild. “Well, it’s looking like that’s what’s necessary,” he said. “We need to keep working to get better, and that’s in all areas, all aspects of what we’re doing.”
That’s a fair and honest assessment. But it was quickly followed by another revealing comment: “I came in here thinking we were gonna turn it right away.
I really did anticipate doing that. But that’s not what’s taken place, unfortunately.”
That admission speaks volumes. Carroll entered the season with high expectations-not just hope, but belief-that the Raiders were ready to compete.
Now, with the season all but lost, he’s left grappling with the reality that his initial read on the roster was off. And he’s not hiding from that.
When asked how the team’s internal evaluations could have missed the mark so badly, Carroll chalked it up to his own nature: “Blindly optimistic as I am, I thought we would come in here, and we would have a big factor on this club, and we would be able to find success that we would be proud of, and right now, it doesn’t feel like that.”
It’s a candid moment from a coach who’s clearly still processing how things went so wrong. He’s not saying he didn’t have a plan-far from it-but he is admitting that his optimism may have clouded his judgment. That kind of self-awareness is rare in this league, but it also underscores just how far off the mark this season has gone.
Carroll also reflected on how foreign this situation is for him, saying he doesn’t have prior experiences to draw from. That’s notable, considering his long and successful coaching career. At 74, he’s seen a lot, but this season with the Raiders is uncharted territory.
Despite all that, Carroll made it clear he wants to return and be part of the solution. “We’re just getting started,” he said, doubling down on his commitment to the team’s future.
It’s a tough sell right now. The Raiders are in the middle of a brutal season, and Carroll’s press conferences-while honest-haven’t inspired much confidence that a turnaround is imminent. His belief in the team hasn’t wavered, but belief alone won’t fix what’s broken.
For Raider Nation, the frustration is palpable. The losses are hard enough.
But hearing the same messages week after week, without tangible progress, only adds to the fatigue. Carroll isn’t giving up, but the question now is whether the organization-and the fan base-still believes he’s the right voice to lead the rebuild.
There’s no question that Pete Carroll has the experience and the pedigree. But in Las Vegas, results matter. And right now, the scoreboard-and the standings-are doing all the talking.