Throughout this past off season, you would have been hard pressed to find a team that made more major changes than the Las Vegas Raiders, and that’s because there wasn’t one. The Raiders were the only team that entered Week 1 of the 2025 regular season with a completely new face as their QB1, RB1, and head coach.
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Pete Carroll and Geno Smith were paired with the task of utilizing the next generational running back in Ashton Jeanty, and when they threw in the potential of Jakobi Meyers, many folks were expecting them to reignite the magic that they found as underdogs in Seattle. Unfortunately, almost none of that has come to fruition.
Jeanty has the fifth most carries of any back in the league, but he currently ranks 32nd in yards per carry. Meyers isn’t even there anymore, as he was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars at the deadline for nothing more than a pair of picks. And as far as Smith is concerned, well, Carroll is refusing to bench him despite the fact that he currently leads the league in interceptions.
According to Craig Carton, it’s time for change, again. Except this time, he expects consistency not just from the Raiders, but from the world of sports media as well.
“Literally a week ago, we’re yelling and screaming about the malpractice of Dan Quinn having his best player, his quarterback, playing in the fourth quarter of a blowout and then sadly, he got hurt. I’m wondering where are all those sanctimonious a-holes today?”
Smith took a big shot in the midst of the fourth quarter and was left visibly shaken. Pair that with the ongoing struggles that he’s had as a passer, and Carton can’t help but to wonder what exactly is it going to take for Carroll to consider benching Smith. “Maybe he is senile and he’s not paying attention to what’s happening on the field of play,” Carton cracked. “Or maybe, he wants Geno Smith to get killed.”
Either way, the message is clear, “Pete Carroll is done.” The Super Bowl-winning head coach has announced that the team will be making some immediate changes following their embarrassing Thursday night loss to the Denver Broncos, with the biggest one being the firing of their special teams coordinator, Tom McMahon. While it’s certainly a step in the right direction, as Las Vegas is currently fielding one of the worst special teams units in the league, there’s still a plethora of issues that need to be resolved.
Nevertheless, Carroll figures to remain on board at least through the duration of the season. While there are no guarantees that he will be around for a second season in the desert, he still has the chance to pull the Raiders out of this nosedive, and that’ll begin with a Week 11 road trip to Arlington, Texas, to take on a faltering Dallas Cowboys club.
