Raiders source on Pete Carroll: 'It wasn't supposed to be this bad'

Shortly after the Las Vegas Raiders fell to 2-12 on the season via a 31-0 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles (9-5) on Dec. 14, Raiders rookie running back Ashton Jeanty insisted that first-year Vegas head coach Pete Carroll hasn't lost the locker room. 

It seems others within the Raiders may now doubt that Carroll is the right man to guide the club during its ongoing rebuild. 

"Pressure is mounting on Pete Carroll"

"The pressure is mounting on Pete Carroll in Las Vegas after the team has struggled to stay competitive at 2-12," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler shared on Wednesday. "Here's my sense after asking around Tuesday: The Raiders knew 2025 would be a bit of a slog due to some roster deficiencies, but they hoped they would stay competitive -- at least more so than this season's horrific point differential of minus-167, trailing only the Titans (minus-169). One team source acknowledged, 'It wasn't supposed to be this bad,' and that something will need to change." 

The Raiders haven't won since they beat the lowly Titans (2-12) in Week 6, and Carroll relieving offensive coordinator Chip Kelly of his duties in November did little to spark an in-season turnaround. Carroll's prior working relationship with quarterback Geno Smith led to the Raiders acquiring Smith from the Seattle Seahawks this past offseason. Las Vegas is expected to move on from Smith following the ongoing campaign, even though the club signed him to a two-year contract extension.

Raiders' Pete Carroll decision "has not been crystallized"

Raiders minority owner Tom Brady reportedly isn't thrilled with the state of the franchise ahead of Christmas. That said, it sounds like Brady hasn't yet told Raiders principal owner Mark Davis to show Carroll the door. 

"Whether removing Carroll is that change has not been crystallized," Fowler added. "But the proverbial hot seat chatter doesn't appear to be going away. As one source with knowledge of the Raiders' operation noted, what the team needs is what it thought it had with Antonio Pierce -- a high-energy first-time head coach with a high ceiling. The Raiders didn't have enough patience to find out whether Pierce (who went 4-13 in his only full season in Vegas, saddled by bad quarterback play) could mature into that. Either way, the Raiders appear to be in danger of a second consecutive one-and-done in the top leadership role." 

Carroll will next get a chance to add a win to his Raiders resume when Vegas plays at the 9-5 Houston Texans this coming Sunday. As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Raiders as 14.5-point underdogs for that game.