Pete Carroll’s Optimism Meets Harsh Reality as Raiders Spiral to 2-10
When the Las Vegas Raiders entered the 2025 offseason, the writing was on the wall: this team needed a reset. The front office leaned into that idea, bringing in a fresh-faced general manager and targeting a young, innovative head coach to lead the rebuild. But after missing out on top candidates like Ben Johnson and not even securing an interview with Liam Coen, the Raiders pivoted-hard-to a familiar face: Pete Carroll.
At 74, Carroll wasn’t the youthful leader many expected, but his track record spoke volumes. He rebuilt USC into a college football powerhouse.
He turned the Seahawks into Super Bowl champions. The thinking was simple: if anyone could lay a cultural foundation and set the tone for a long-term turnaround in Vegas, it was Pete Carroll.
But nearly three months into the season, that belief is being tested-severely.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
The Raiders are 2-10. They’re 0-4 in the AFC West.
They’ve been blown out in seven games. For a team that hoped to at least be competitive while laying the groundwork for the future, this season has veered dangerously off course.
And yet, Carroll remains relentlessly optimistic-perhaps to a fault.
After Sunday’s latest loss, Carroll was asked if he saw signs of growth beneath the surface, something to suggest that this team, like his early USC or Seattle squads, was on the verge of turning the corner. His answer was vintage Carroll: full of belief, full of heart-but maybe not full of substance.
“Absolutely. Yeah.
And that’s why it’s so hard to take,” Carroll said. “That we’re not able to enjoy the hard work and the changes and the adjustments that we’ve made because it’s very similar.
You watched it. It’s very similar to how we’re responding together, the way we work, the attitude and the mentality, guys supporting one another.
All of that is what it takes to turn the corner and get around.”
Carroll even referenced a specific moment from his USC days-when that team sat at 2-5 before clawing back to finish 6-6-as a parallel to what’s happening now. But that’s where the comparison starts to crack.
Hope vs. Reality
The difference between those USC and Seahawks teams and this Raiders squad? They actually turned things around.
The Trojans found a spark. The Seahawks, despite finishing 7-9 in Carroll’s first year, showed real signs of life.
The Raiders, on the other hand, started 2-5 and have now dropped five straight to fall to 2-10. And it’s not just the losses-it’s how they’re losing.
The offense lacks rhythm. The defense can’t get stops.
The team hasn’t just stalled; it’s regressing.
Carroll’s belief in his players, his staff, and the process is admirable. But belief alone doesn’t win games. And for Raider Nation, that optimism is starting to ring hollow.
Culture Is Only the Beginning
To Carroll’s credit, culture has always been his cornerstone. He’s built programs on energy, accountability, and connection.
And maybe, behind closed doors, there’s a sense that the locker room hasn’t fractured. But in the NFL, culture without results only goes so far.
The Raiders have already made multiple staffing changes and shuffled the lineup in hopes of sparking something. Nothing’s stuck.
If there was a turning point to be found, it likely would’ve shown itself by now. Instead, each week feels like another step backward.
With just one truly winnable game left on the schedule, the path to improvement looks more like a dead end than a detour.
What Comes Next?
There’s no denying Carroll’s legacy. He’s one of the most respected minds in football.
But the NFL is a bottom-line business. And right now, the bottom line is brutal: the Raiders are one of the worst teams in the league, and there’s little evidence that’s going to change before the season ends.
Carroll may still be searching for that 2001 magic-the version of himself that turned struggling programs into contenders. But time is running out. And in Las Vegas, where expectations are always high and patience is always thin, another coaching change could be on the horizon.
For now, Carroll is staying the course. But unless the Raiders find a pulse soon, the question won’t be whether he can turn things around-it’ll be whether he gets the chance to try.