The Las Vegas Raiders have fired head coach Pete Carroll, but that doesn’t mean the entire coaching staff will be let go. However, there’s one assistant who will almost certainly be shown the door.
Offensive line coach Brennan Carroll took a lot of heat this season. The Raiders’ offensive line took a step back from last year despite bringing back many of the same players. He was also the run game coordinator for the worst running game in the NFL.
The Raiders didn’t seem to ever get better on the offensive line, but Pete Carroll decided against demoting or firing his son. It’s obviously an awkward position for him to be in, but it was a mistake to hire him in such an important position in the first place.
Pete Carroll’s other son, Nate Carroll, was also on the coaching staff, but he never came under fire, as he was just an assistant quarterbacks coach. There are plenty of examples of sons of famous coaches having success. Just look at Kyle Shanahan, who is the son of legendary former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan.
Unfortunately, it became apparent very quickly to the Raiders that Brennan Carroll was no Kyle Shanahan. According to The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen, the Raiders had issues with Carroll’s son from the beginning.
“People in the Raiders building were puzzled by the Brennan Carroll hire and said he wasn’t a ‘detail orientated guy,'” Nguyen wrote on X.
“One of Pete’s biggest mistakes.”
Did Pete Carroll Lose Credibility Because of Son?
Throughout the nightmare season for the Raiders, special teams coordinator Tom McMahon and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly were fired. It could be argued that the worst-performing unit for the Raiders was the offensive line, but Brennan Carroll was never held accountable.
Pete Carroll’s whole gimmick is that everybody has to earn their role and is constantly competing. However, that seemed to only apply to people who didn’t share a last name with him. There are a number of factors that led to Carroll’s demise, but not holding his son accountable had to lead to him losing credibility in the locker room.
Raiders Have Appealing Job Opening
The Raiders are coming off a terrible season, and it’s clear the roster is lacking talent. That said, it’s still one of the more appealing job openings in the NFL.
The Raiders hold the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, which means they will be able to find their quarterback of the future. Krisopher Knox of Bleacher Report ranked all of the head coaching openings in the NFL, and he believes the Raiders have the second-best.
“Now, the Raiders’ job does carry some potential concerns,” Knox wrote. “General manager John Spytek is expected to return, and Tom Brady is the most high-profile minority owner in the league. An incoming coach may not have total control over a roster trying to contend in the loaded AFC West.
“However, the Raiders’ next coach will get to help add to a talented core while drafting and developing ‘his guy’ at quarterback.”
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