HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Las Vegas Raiders fired Pete Carroll on Monday after just one year, meaning they will enter their third consecutive season with a new coach in charge.
Carroll expressed high hopes upon taking over, saying he was used to double-digit victories and expected the same in Las Vegas. But the Raiders went 3-14, going on a 10-game losing streak before finishing with a 14-12 victory over Kansas City on Sunday.
“I want to make it extremely clear, too, that I bear a ton of responsibility for the outcome of this season and our record,” general manager John Spytek said. “This isn't on any one person, and really I don't want anyone to think anyone deserves more responsibility than me on that. It's something I'm very aware of. I think about it all the time, and I'm determined to get it right. The accountability should start and stop with me, and that needs to be said.”
Now the question is where the Raiders head next under the direction of owner Mark Davis, minority owner Tom Brady and Spytek. Davis said in a statement that Spytek would work with Brady to find the next 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,” Davis said.
The Raiders own the first pick in this year's draft and are projected to have the third-most cap space at more than $100 million, according to overthecap.com.
“We have a massive opportunity in front of us this offseason to set this franchise on a course for success and provide the results that Raider Nation and the Las Vegas community deserves and expects,” Spytek said. “We intend to attack it full on. The work has already begun.”
Linebacker Devin White played with Brady at Tampa Bay, where Spytek was in the front office. All three were key parts of the Buccaneers' Super Bowl title in the 2020 season.
“I know Tom is a certified winner in the league, and John Spytek has a winning culture as far as being assistant GM in Tampa,” White said. “I feel like they brought in the right players and people there to be able to go win a Super Bowl. So, hopefully, (Spytek) will take what he learned there and apply it here.”
The club could seek an offensive-minded coach to work with a young quarterback should the Raiders draft Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore with the first pick.
That formula worked well this season in Chicago with coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams and in Jacksonville with coach Liam Coen and QB Trevor Lawrence. Both teams are playoff bound after experiencing losing seasons the year before.
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There is no one path to success, however. New England hired a defensive coach in Mike Vrabel, and he worked well with quarterback Drake Maye to helped the Patriots go from a 4-13 record to 14-3 and the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs.
“It's definitely a win for us, I guess you could say, to have the No. 1 pick,” defensive tackle Jonah Laulu said. “You can't go wrong with that. Whether we use that pick or trade it for more picks, whatever it takes to help us out to win more, I'm all for it."
Running back Ashton Jeanty, who set a Raiders rookie record this season with 1,321 yards from scrimmage, went through a coaching change at Boise State. The Broncos made an in-season change two years ago, promoting Spencer Danielson and winning back-to-back Mountain West Conference championships and appearing in last year's College Football Playoff.
“You have to be able to adapt for whoever is coming in the building,” Jeanty said. “Obviously, we changed who was running Boise State and got better, so I'm hoping it will be the same thing.”
Carroll, 74, was the NFL's oldest head coach, and he came to Las Vegas with the intent of winning right away. He got his wish of bringing in quarterback Geno Smith, whom he coached in Seattle. Neither got the success they expected, with Smith throwing a league-high 17 interceptions as the losses piled up.
This wasn't what Carroll was used to as a coach. He led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl title and Southern California to two national championships.
But now Carroll has been dismissed, just as Antonio Pierce was last year and Josh McDaniels midway through the 2023 season.
The Raiders have run through coaches since appearing in the Super Bowl in the 2002 season. They have made the playoffs just twice since then, losing both wild-card games.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
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