If the Las Vegas Raiders don’t win any more games this season and Pete Carroll is fired, he’s going to go down as one of the worst head coaches in franchise history. That’s not to say his legacy in totality is ruined, but everybody will likely try to pretend his lone season in Las Vegas didn’t happen.
The only head coach who has had any level of success for the Raiders over the last two decades is Jack Del Rio. He led the team to a 12-4 season in 2016, which is their best season since 2002.
Del Rio is a Northern California native who grew up a Raiders fan. He knew the franchise well when he took the head coaching job. He is not a fan of what Carroll is doing with the franchise and thinks that his personality is a bad fit.
“I’m not trying to crush the guy or anything, but … I don’t see or feel the buy-in from his messaging,” Del Rio said on “The Coach’s Out.” “Pete’s always had more of a collegiate, raw-raw type of mentality, and I don’t know if that fits the Raiders.”
When Del Rio got to the Raiders, he immediately pushed to upgrade the offensive line. The team had arguably the best offensive line in the NFL during his three-year stint. He doesn’t think Carroll has built a physical team.
“When we were together there in Oakland, our teams were physical,” Del Rio continued. “To me, it starts in the trenches.”
Former @Raiders HC Jack Del Rio on Pete Carroll and what’s gone wrong in Las Vegas.
He also shares the story behind his firing for Jon Gruden (@BarstoolGruden) in 2017. #RaiderNation
FULL INTERVIEW⬇️ t.co/RnIPilR7AT
Del Rio Talks Getting Fired by Raiders
Del Rio had his faults, but he had a 25-23 record in three seasons with the Raiders. That’s far better than any coach has done with the team over the past two decades.
After the Raiders’ 12-4 season in 2016, they took a big step back the following year and went 6-10. Instead of giving Del Rio another year to get things back on track, owner Mark Davis decided to fire him once he found out he could land Jon Gruden.
“It stung when Mark let me go the way he did, when he did,” Del Rio said. “He was just in so much love with (Gruden), and he couldn’t help himself. But he was honest the whole time. He told me, ‘If I could ever get Gruden, that’s what I’m gonna do.’ So it’s not like he was behind my back, not being honest about it.”
Del Rio Wouldn’t Mind Another Shot
In hindsight, the Raiders made a mistake when they chose Gruden over Del Rio. The latter had earned at least one more season to get the train back on the tracks.
Gruden didn’t have a single winning season before he resigned. Del Rio hasn’t gotten another NFL head coaching job since the Raiders fired him, but he wouldn’t mind another chance to lead the team.
“Maybe Del Rio should be back with the Raiders,” Del Rio said.
Del Rio is currently the head coach of the Paris Musketeers of the European League of Football, but he’d almost certainly dump that job in a heartbeat to get back in the NFL.
Jack Del Rio Rips Pete Carroll Over Raiders Season With Stern Message