AWeek 18 win over the Kansas City Chiefs wasn’t enough to save Pete Carroll’s job as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. Prior to the game, there were rumors aplenty that the team had already made the decision to move on, but nothing was official.
That changed on Black Monday. The Raiders put out a statement to announce that Carroll has been relieved of his duties. In the statement, it was also revealed what general manager John Spytek’s role will be going forward, along with an update on Tom Brady.
“The Las Vegas Raiders have relieved Pete Carroll of his duties as head coach,” Mark Davis said in a statement. “We appreciate and wish him and his family all the best. Moving forward, General Manager John Spytek will lead all football operations in close collaboration with Tom Brady, including the search for the club’s next head coach. Together, they will guide football decisions with a shared focus on leadership, culture, and alignment with the organization’s long-term vision and goals.”
There was some chatter that Carroll could simply retire instead of having the Raiders fire him. He shut down that talk after the Chiefs win, so the team had no choice but to make the decision.
Is Firing Carroll the Right Call?
Carroll is a living legend. He’s one of the greatest college football coaches ever, and also helped build one of the most iconic NFL teams of the 21st century with the Legion of Boom Seattle Seahawks.
However, it’s very hard to be elite at something for that many decades. The Seahawks pushed him out a couple of years ago, and it’s easy to see why now. Carroll clearly lost his fastball.
He still had plenty of energy, and his positivity is infectious, but that doesn’t lead to wins. Carroll didn’t seem eager to adapt his style of play and had his coordinators run systems they weren’t as comfortable with.
The Raiders are a rebuilding franchise, so having a 74-year-old coach lead that rebuild was never going to make sense. In hindsight, it was a big mistake to hire him last offseason, but instead of doubling down on a mistake, the Raiders made the right call to move on from him.
Did Spytek Deserve to Keep Job?
It was becoming increasingly obvious that the Raiders were going to fire Carroll, but Spytek’s future was much murkier. Based on Davis’ statement, it sounds like the general manager is now empowered to run the football side of things for Las Vegas.
It’s not entirely clear how much power Carroll had over personnel, but he definitely owns moves like trading for Geno Smith or playing Stone Forsythe at left tackle all season, rather than giving a younger player a chance.
Spytek was widely respected around the NFL before taking the Raiders job. He would’ve had options had he chosen to wait. The Raiders’ roster was a mess this season, but it’s hard to put that all on Spytek. He should get at least one full season where he fully gets to run things, which is what it looks like the Raiders are going to do, but with Brady by his side.
Raiders Reveal John Spytek’s Fate in Pete Carroll Firing Announcement