Jan 27, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek (left), owner Mark Davis (center) and coach Pete Carroll pose at press conference at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

How a Franchise Disconnect Doomed the 2025 Raiders

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Michael Canelo | Last updated Dec 19, 2025 12:30 PM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders' new regime has not given this franchise a building block in the 2025 NFL season. Coming into this season, the Raiders brought in head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek.

They wanted to see what improvements these two made this season and what they could build on moving forward. Well, there has been little to no improvement all season long. There are more questions than answers for the franchise than they had coming into the season.

It has been a complete failure for the organization this season. They have not shown anything that indicates that this team is moving forward with winning on their mind. The Raiders have only won two games this season and are tied for the worst record in the NFL.

That is something they did not want to be part of, but are. The Raiders have been a mess all season. They have made some changes from the roster to the coaching staff that show the Raiders' regime was not on the same page.

Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Pete Carroll and John Spytek

The Raiders brought in a veteran head coach in Carroll that who is looking to win now. On the opposite end, they brought in a first-year general manager in Spytek who could be looking at the Raiders situation from a different perspective.

Carroll has been playing the players he best believes would get him wins for most of the season, instead of playing the young players. And many questions have to be asked if Carroll is calling all the shots or if it's coming from upstairs.

“Pete Carroll only signed a three-year contract,” NFL Insider Jordan Schultz said. “However, the GM John Spytek, also in his first year, signed a five-year deal. And the problem with the Raiders this year, aside from really a lack of talent, is that you have a massive dichotomy, as has been explained to me from several league executives, in Pete Carroll’s philosophy and John Spytek’s philosophy.

The #Raiders had a vision with HC Pete Carroll of creating a culture while rebuilding on the fly.

But that hasn’t exactly worked this year, and the idea of this being one-and-done is very real. pic.twitter.com/C8UH3ng8WR
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) December 18, 2025

“Pete, who’s much older, the oldest coach in the league, and has a shorter deal; he wants to win now. Whereas Spytek is building toward the future. That is one job I am watching very closely.”

It is going to be interesting to see what the Raiders decide to do with Carroll and even Spytek at the end of the season. Will the Raiders be bringing in a whole new regime or keep Spytek?