Las Vegas Raiders
What hasn’t gone wrong this season in Las Vegas?
The Raiders are 2-12. Two coordinators (OC Chip Kelly and special teams coordinator Tom McMahon) have been fired. Veteran quarterback Geno Smith, acquired for a third-round pick, has thrown 14 interceptions. No. 6 overall pick Ashton Jeanty has rushed 200 times for only 700 yards, with little running room. Superstar pass rusher Maxx Crosby, who signed a contract extension last March, appeared to hit a breaking point in last week’s shutout loss to the Eagles.
It all has the fate of 74-year-old coach Pete Carroll very much in doubt. No stranger to making changes, mercurial owner Mark Davis will weigh the feedback he gets from all sides of his building as he considers the possibility of another. Meanwhile, Carroll is intent on convincing the owner he should return.
Legendary quarterback Tom Brady and his business partner Egon Durban have wielded significant influence since becoming Raiders minority owners last year. Brady is close with former Michigan teammate and current GM John Spytek, with both serving as the sounding board for one another. While Spytek was Brady’s GM target last year, Brady’s prime target for head coach was Ben Johnson, who took the Bears job instead. Expect Brady — who has spent little time in the Raiders building as he balances his broadcasting duties on Fox and other business interests — to increase his presence as the decision closes in.
Many of those in the building who know Carroll well understand change may be necessary.
Davis is his own man, though. And all the voices around him report to him. He has won three titles in four years with the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces and believes he can replicate that success with the Raiders. Whatever Davis wants to do ultimately is what will happen, and it’s not yet clear what that will be.
