Raiders Spiral Toward No. 1 Pick, But Is Pete Carroll Along for the Ride?
The Las Vegas Raiders are staring down the barrel of a full-blown reset - and after a 34-10 blowout loss to the Giants, they’re inching closer to locking up the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. But the bigger question looming over the franchise right now isn’t just who they’ll draft - it’s who will be making that decision.
Pete Carroll’s future in Vegas is officially up in the air. According to league insider Adam Schefter, the Raiders have “all options on the table” when it comes to Carroll’s status - which is as noncommittal as it sounds. That kind of phrasing usually signals that a coaching change is at least being discussed behind closed doors.
After the loss to New York, Carroll was asked directly about his future. His response? Classic Carroll - upbeat, vague, and not giving much away.
“From all the guys I’ve talked to, I do feel like I have their support,” Carroll said. “What does that mean? I don’t know, but our conversations have been really good.”
Pressed further on whether he expects to return in 2026, Carroll kept the door wide open - both ways.
“I have no comment to make about that,” he said. “We’re getting along great. We’re communicating really well.”
That’s not exactly a firm endorsement of continuity - and with the team sliding toward a top draft pick, the front office may be evaluating more than just players heading into the offseason.
Enter Fernando Mendoza.
The 2025 Heisman Trophy winner is widely projected to be the top quarterback prospect in the upcoming draft, and there’s growing consensus that he’s the guy the Raiders are eyeing to finally stabilize the position. One recent mock draft even has Mendoza landing in Vegas - albeit at No. 2 overall - but whether it’s first or second, the signal is clear: the Silver and Black are hunting for their next franchise quarterback.
And Mendoza checks a lot of boxes. He’s got the arm talent, the poise, and the pedigree to be a cornerstone player - something the Raiders haven’t had under center since the early days of Derek Carr’s tenure. If they do pull the trigger on Mendoza, it could mark a new chapter in Vegas - but only if they’re ready to hand him the keys.
That brings us to Geno Smith.
The veteran quarterback reunited with Carroll this season, but the results have been far from what either side hoped for. Smith’s stint in Vegas has been rocky, and it hit another low point against the Giants when he left the game with an injury. He signed a two-year deal worth up to $85.5 million last April, but the Raiders now face a pivotal decision: keep Smith as a bridge QB, or move on and let a rookie like Mendoza take the reins from Day 1.
Cutting Smith would create some financial breathing room and clear the path for a full rebuild. But that decision - like so many others - may ultimately hinge on whether Carroll is still calling the shots.
If he’s not, it would mark Carroll’s first one-and-done season since 1994, when he coached the New York Jets. That’s not the kind of history anyone wants to repeat.
So as the Raiders stumble toward the finish line of a lost season, the franchise is facing a crossroads - not just at quarterback, but at the very top of the organizational chart. The No. 1 pick might be on the horizon, but the bigger story is who will be in the war room when the clock starts ticking.