Las Vegas Raiders are Near-Perfect Coach Landing Spot
The Las Vegas Raiders officially fired Pete Carroll on Monday, putting an end to the disastrous experiment. The Raiders thought that by trading for an established QB, drafting a generational RB, and hiring an experienced and talented coach, they'd make it big quickly.
Instead, they're now on the clock with the first overall pick, have a coaching vacancy, and have some cap issues to resolve this offseason. However, they're still a fantastic landing spot for a coach. In fact, they're almost perfect.
Why a new coach might choose the Las Vegas Raiders
The pros
The number one overall pick is a tantalizing thing. Being able to walk into a new job and essentially handpick the quarterback you want to work with is exciting. It doesn't always work out (looking at you, 2023 Carolina Panthers), but the ability to pair a new coach with a rookie QB right off the bat so they can grow together is great.
Ashton Jeanty had a rough season behind an abysmal offensive line, but he remains a big draw. A new coach, with more resources up front, could absolutely do some special things with Jeanty. There were enough flashes in 2025 to know he can be incredible.
Brock Bowers might be the best tight end in the NFL. Having the best weapon on offense be a tight end isn't the most ordinary situation, but it can work. The Kansas City Chiefs have done it a ton, and Bowers is so good that he is basically a WR1.
The team also has, for now, Maxx Crosby. That could change with a trade request, but Crosby is one of the best edge rushers in the league. That's a vital thing to have on defense. It gives them the cornerstone to build on.
The Raiders will also have a pretty easy schedule and have some extra picks to work with after a trade. They thought Carroll was the right coach to help them ascend, but he wasn't. However, now, with the actual right coach, they certainly can.
The cons
The downside is that the Raiders might play in the best division in football. This year, the Denver Broncos were the number one seed in the AFC, and they have a young quarterback and a dominant defense. Success isn't going anywhere anytime soon, even if they're a bit of a fluky top seed.
The Los Angeles Chargers made the playoffs. They have a good head coach-quarterback combo, and they will have the best pieces of their offensive line healthy again in the future, so they're likely to continue being good for a while.
The Kansas City Chiefs are bad right now, but they were just a literal dynasty. And while Patrick Mahomes might miss most of this season, they will retool and have him back alongside Andy Reid in 2027, so the window of being bad might close quickly. The AFC as a whole is, though not in 2025, generally tougher than the NFC.
That's not an ideal situation to walk into. The three division rivals are all pretty good, and they're all seemingly set up to continue being good for a while. That's not to say that the Raiders can't get there, but they're set up for more of a struggle with six games against those teams, and a division just won't ever send four teams to the playoffs.
The contrast is the Atlanta Falcons, who play in the easiest division. A coach might prefer that over the number one pick and the weapons the Raiders have. Either way, Las Vegas remains a pretty great destination, even if it's not the absolute perfect situation.
