The Las Vegas Raiders' offseason did not make much sense. The team opted to hire first-time general manager John Spytek, signaling that they were in for a rebuild. Three days later, however, they named Pete Carroll the head coach, which sent the exact opposite message.
The now 74-year-old is the oldest head coach in NFL history and has made it clear that he wants to win right away. That has not been the case, as Las Vegas is just 2-8 ahead of Week 12. They have proven that they are simply not a good football team in any facet of the game right now.
While there is plenty of blame to go around, the coaching staff's decisions have not aligned with setting the team up for long-term success. An NFL insider may have just confirmed Raider Nation's long-standing speculation that Spytek and Carroll are not on the same page.
NFL insider hints that John Spytek and Pete Carroll are on different pages
Spytek made 11 selections in his first-ever draft, with nine making the roster and another winding up on the practice squad. Through 10 games, however, Ashton Jeanty is the only rookie who has played a significant role.
NFL insider Ari Meirov suggested that the Raiders' general manager and head coach are not on the same page.
"When you're hiring a head coach who is in his mid-70s and he doesn't have time for rebuilds here, it becomes hard to do the vision of the coaching staff and the front office together. And we kind of have seen that throughout the course of this year," Meirov said. "From a front office perspective, they wanted to give chances to some young guys on this team... Front office, coaching staff, it's not eye-to-eye right now. It's just not, and that's a problem."
Meirov added that he expects changes to be made to the coaching staff, but isn't sure exactly what will change. He did, however, note that both Carroll and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly are on the hot seat after just 10 games with the franchise.
Meirov also provided an interesting bit of speculation that Las Vegas' head coach could step down.
"Stepping down, getting fired, it's all the same thing to me," Meirov said. "At the end of the day, whatever it is, I just expect some change to happen at some point in Las Vegas."
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Finally, he noted that the two sides did not agree on the decision to move wide receiver Jakobi Meyers to the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of the trade deadline.
"The Jakobi Meyers trade, there was a lot of back-and-forth from the front office to the coaching staff about doing that. I mean, it was such an obvious trade candidate," Meirov said. "The coaching staff wanted to keep him... Even doing a deal like that, there is just the dichotomy of we got to win right now versus we got to prepare for the future, and it's not a good balance right now."
It has been apparent to almost everyone paying attention that the head coach and general manager did not appear to be on the same page. In addition to their timelines not matching, Carroll's insistence on attempting to win now and refusing to play the rookie class amid a 2-8 start has shown that he is not prioritizing the future of the franchise, and he said as much recently.
Spytek figures to have a longer leash in Las Vegas, as it is his first opportunity as a general manager, and he has deep ties to minority owner Tom Brady. He, rightfully, appears to be taking a long-term approach to building the Raiders through the draft.
If the rumors that they aren't on the same page are indeed true, it would not be a surprise to see a different head coach on the sidelines in 2026. The final seven weeks of the season will likely determine what changes will come in the offseason; however, if Carroll continues to limit the rookies' playing time, and no wins occur, there could be a major overhaul in Las Vegas.