Matt Calkins: Pete Carroll hasn't been same savior for Raiders that he was for Seahawks

Matt Calkins, The Seattle Times on Nov 10, 2025

Published in Football

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SEATTLE — What started as one last run now looks like it could be one and done.

Seattle royalty, it seems, is at the helm of the NFL's jester.

No one can ever take away what Pete Carroll did as the coach of the Seahawks. He helped bring this town a Super Bowl, nearly brought it a second, and had his team competitive almost every year he paced the sidelines.

But it's far more frequent that the great ones leave on a low than a high — and right now, Carroll is countless leagues under the sea.

After Thursday's 10-7 loss to the Denver Broncos, the Raiders are 2-7 and firmly entrenched at the bottom of the AFC West. They have lost three in a row, are scoring 15.4 points per game (third worst in the NFL) and just fired their special teams coach in the wake of a defeat that featured a missed field goal and a blocked punt.

It's not unusual for an assistant to lose his job midseason when a team is playing substandard ball. This is Scapegoating 101. But Carroll's woes go well beyond his underlings — and it seems increasingly likely this is his final season as an NFL coach.

I doubt many in Seattle are happy about this. Carroll would be cheered any time his mug showed up on a jumbotron at an event here in the Emerald City. Not once has he spoken ill of the town or the Seahawks. In fact, he is the only coach I can remember calling a "thank you" news conference after he was fired.

But … he was let go for a reason. The once legendary Seahawks defense had become one of the worst in the league over Pete's final three years here. It appeared to be the primary impetus for the organization moving on from him and bringing on defensive guru Mike Macdonald as his replacement.

That's worked out for Seattle. Carroll's new venture in Las Vegas has not.

My guess is most of the media in Sin City was instantly enamored by Pete's charisma and enthusiasm when he took the Raiders job last January. Same goes for the players who were introduced to his charm.

There is nothing inauthentic about the way Carroll, 74, carries himself. He has a fire and a motor people a third of his age would envy. But words and energy only go so far on the gridiron. Success requires a well-structured plan and players who can carry it out. The Raiders don't seem to have either.

Former Seahawks QB Geno Smith is looking like the worst offseason signing in the NFL. After inking a two-year deal worth $75 million, Smith finds himself with a league-high 12 interceptions against 11 touchdown passes and a QBR of 34.7 — good for 30th in the NFL. His acquisition seemed to make sense at the time given his three quality years as the Seahawks starter, but Seattle's decision to move on from him is looking smarter every week.

The Raiders' "D," meanwhile, is middling, They were 15th in the NFL in total defense last season and 15th again this season. Carroll's calling card has always been what he can achieve on that side of the ball, and while it hasn't gotten worse for Las Vegas, it hasn't gotten better, either.

Perhaps this would be a slightly different narrative had the Raiders converted the two-point conversion that would have given it the win in last Sunday's 30-29 loss to Jacksonville. Or if that missed 59-yard field goal or blocked punt against Denver on Thursday went differently.

Even so, Las Vegas has allowed 81 more points than it has scored this year. That's the fourth-worst point differential in the league.

Bottom line, Carroll hasn't been anything close to the savior this franchise hoped he would be. No one would fault his defenders for blaming a lack of personnel, but signs of improvement are scant.

To Carroll's credit, he hasn't lost that belief in his voice — at least not publicly. He is clearly frustrated with the Raiders' results, though. Pete isn't used to this. This could go down as the worst season in his pro-coaching career, and he'll have had 19 of them by year's end.

No one around these parts is happy about that. This isn't anything like the departure of Russell Wilson, who prompted boos in his return to Lumen Field with the Broncos. Carroll has a case for the best — or at least the most significant — coach in Seattle sports history, and there was zero hostility when his time here was up.

But as Bill Parcells said famously: "You are what your record says you are. Carroll's record in Vegas is dismal. If the Raiders don't get back on track, it seems doubtful he'll be back as coach.

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