Mar 31, 2025; Palm Beach, FL, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll answers questions from the media during the NFL Annual League Meeting at The Breakers. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Raiders' Pete Carroll Speaks on AFC West Coaches

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Michael Canelo | Last updated Mar 31, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders hired new head coach Pete Carroll to help get things going in the right direction, starting next season. Carroll is a proven winner wherever he has been at. But it was not like that when he got to those places. Carroll had to build from the bottom to get where he wanted to go with his previous teams.

Carroll is a well known coach in both the National Football League and in College Football. Carroll has been successful at both levels.

Now Carroll will have the tough task of getting the Silver and Black back to their winning ways. Something that has been a struggle for many years. But if there is one coach that can make it happen, it is Carroll.

Carroll will face a hard challenge within his own division now, the AFC West. The AFC West is made of three teams that all made the playoffs last season. It is also made of three other great coaches. Andy Reid, Sean Payton, and Jim Harbaugh.

Carroll gave his thoughts on the AFC West from the NFL annual meeting.

"I am going to go about it very competitive manner, you know," said Carroll. "I have gone against these guys for a long time and I am not going to assume that I have got them figured out. You know, we got to study and work our tails off to figure out what is coming now. They have grown and evolved and all that."

"Battling against Andy [Reid] and Sean [Payton] and Jim Harbaugh that is what it should be. What will happen for us to survive the challenges of that division? We are going to be ready for whatever comes. That is the way it should be. If you expect it to be easy and you got an advantage, I do not see it that way. The harder it is, the better it is for us to get good. The sooner it is hard, the sooner we get better."

"The challenges are enormous, the guys have great respect for them. I happen to be sitting with Andy on one side and Jim on the other in those meetings. We were having a blast. I cannot wait."

Carroll expects the Raiders to complete in the division after finshing last in 2024. The Raiders will have the coach to do it now and we will see next season if they can take the AFC West crown.