Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll had a distinctive way of preparing the team for its season opener. On his birthday, he may have something else in store for the club ahead of its Monday night matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers. Before the game kicks off, Tom Brady will make a major announcement.
Raiders Daily sheds light on Carroll’s motivational tactics and what Brady may share with the public.
Pete Carroll Smashed Whiteboard to Rile Up Raiders Before Week 1
NFL: Las Vegas Raiders at Arizona Cardinals
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Every head coach has a way to motivate players. Some are subtle, and others grab your attention with a strong message that permeates the locker room. Head coach Pete Carroll chose the latter method.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Carroll made a WWE-style entrance and destroyed a whiteboard to get his team ready for a road trip to New England for the season opener.
“According to those in the room, Carroll entered from the back like WWE superstar Jey Uso, walking through the players as if his theme music was going,” Rapoport wrote. “He took his time, allowing tension to build.
“When it was time to start talking, he harped on the need to compete, especially focusing on the former Patriots in the room, considering there were so many.
“Then, as the crescendo, symbolically telling them to kick in the door … he kicked in the whiteboard, destroying it.”
Carroll delivered his message in an entertaining yet stern manner that resonated with the players.
Aside from a comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2 of last season, the Raiders mostly struggled in games that started at 1 p.m. ET. They scored on their first drive of the season, led the Patriots for most of the second half and held on to a comfortable lead for the victory.
On Monday, Carroll turned 74, and his Raiders will face the Los Angeles Chargers led by Jim Harbaugh, who coached against him in the old Pac-10 Conference and in the NFC West a little more than a decade ago.
One has to wonder what Carroll did to fire up the players on his birthday ahead of a big-time Monday Night Football AFC West showdown against a well-respected coaching adversary.
Tom Brady Ready to Reveal Something Special Ahead of MNF
Syndication: The Indianapolis Star
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Tom Brady will break some news on Monday. While on Fox pregame show (h/t 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov), the Raiders minority owner said he’s worked on something special “for a very long time.”
Tom Brady said on FOX that he will be at the Chargers-Raiders game tomorrow night and plans to announce something very special that he’s been working on “for a very long time.” 👀 pic.twitter.com/5H4lAQjjy7
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 14, 2025
While some have joked about Brady making another comeback to the NFL, he gets his competitive juices flowing in a team consultant role with the Silver and Black. Owner Mark Davis included Brady in the process of hiring general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll.
That being said, Brady did have fun with the Fox Sports crowd when he threw a pass to retired NFL tight end and former teammate Rob Gronkowski.
More than likely, Brady will announce another business venture as he continues to transition into his post-playing career.
Raiders Will Battle Chargers for Early Lead in AFC West
NFL: Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders
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Though it’s early, the Raiders-Chargers matchup has more than an AFC West rivalry sizzle to it. The winner of Monday’s game will take an early lead in the division.
The Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs lost in Week 2. The Chiefs, who have won the AFC West title for nine consecutive years, are 0-2.
Even though it’s early in the season, the Raiders can get an early two-game head start on the Chiefs and notch a division win if they take care of business at Allegiant Stadium. The Raiders haven’t started a season 2-0 since their last playoff campaign in 2021, when they won 10 games.
We’ll see how the Silver and Black handles the Monday night spotlight at home in a big-time matchup.
Maurice Moton covers the Raiders for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at@MoeMoton.
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Maurice Moton is our Sr. NFL columnist and co-host of Silver and Black Tonight on Southern California's The Mightier ... More about Moe Moton