Jan 27, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders coach Pete Carroll (right) with wife Glena Goranson at press conference at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Will Pete Carroll Win First Coach of the Year Award?

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Fernando Alfaro-Donis | Last updated May 11, 2025 6:00 AM ET

Mark Davis and the Las Vegas Raiders front office knew that if they wanted to turn their franchise around, it had to start from up top. Parting ways with Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco and replacing them with John Spytek and Pete Carroll may be one of the best upgrades for a team in the past couple of years, who isn't a player.

It's due to their collective efforts and concentration in shifting the culture in Las Vegas that the Raider Nation now enters next season with optimism and a sense of hope that their team's trajectory is facing upwards.

Carroll's coaching philosophy will bode so well with their first-round pick Ashton Jeanty, and it's due to Spyteks' sensational draft class that Raiders stock is on the rise for next season. They will be one of the most improved teams in the NFL next season, even if analysts aren't aware of it yet.

How far the Raiders will go is dependent on them, and the way their roster is constructed, they could be a sneaky playoff team by the end of the season next year. The AFC West will be one of the hardest divisions next year, but at least the Raiders can say they had the best NFL draft out of all of their divisional rivals.

As legendary a head coach as Carroll is, there's one thing missing from his historic career. He has never won a Coach of the Year award, despite his plenty of contributions with the Seattle Seahawks and helping them win that Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos.

Now his team will be facing the Broncos twice a year, and if the Raiders surpass expectations and are one of the best teams in the NFL, Carroll may win that award for the first time in his career with the Raiders.

One way that could happen is if the Raiders were to become the AFC West divisional champions, which hasn't been done since 2002, when they eventually lost in the Super Bowl to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

However, even if they don't make a jump that drastic, if the Raiders go from a team that won four games to a playoff team, there's a real chance that Carroll gets a lot of credit for that quick turnaround. They'll have to play good and win games in order for that to even happen, but something to monitor if the Raiders begin to exceed expectations,

Be sure you follow us on X @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr and never miss any news story from us again.

Please let us know your feelings and more when you go to our Facebook page, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.

This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: