The Las Vegas Raiders have made a habit of firing head coaches. The Raiders will soon hire their fourth head coach in four seasons, a testament to how much has not gone right for Las Vegas over the past half-decade. Las Vegas has been the league’s poster child for instability.
Las Vegas’ dismal season left little doubt they needed a reset at head coach, just as much as any position on their bottom-tier roster. Las Vegas made the decision to move on from Carroll last week, wasting little time starting up their search for a new coach
Raiders Instability
The Raiders have had four head coaches in as many seasons, three offensive coordinators, and three interim offensive coordinators over the past three seasons. After Carroll’s firing, Raiders General Manager John Spytek addressed the team’s instability and its impact on the organization.
“I think as the NFL goes, it’s important, but this is a largely unstable world we live in. Even when you’re good, you have instability because your coordinators take off on you,” Spytek said.
“There’s a couple teams that were great last year and they lost some really good coaches, and it hasn’t worked out as well for them this year. So, we’re always battling every year. It feels like every game, every week, every year you’re battling.”
The Raiders’ roster has undergone significant turnover over the past few seasons. The team’s inability to figure things out has affected several players who have been vital to the team’s recent success. These players have untapped potential that could be reached with coaching stability.
Aidan O’Connell
O’Connell has had the chance to stake his claim as a potential starting quarterback in the league. He has, instead, confirmed he has a quality backup quarterback in the league. However, he has arguably been the players most impacted be the Raiders instability at head coach and offensive coordinator.
The team’s roster also impacted O’Connell. He has been judged by his inability to do much with offensive weapons, more experienced, and quarterbacks the Raiders paid significantly more money for, who could not win with.
O’Connell may be a backup quarterback, but he would have had better performances in his opportunities if the Raiders had better coaching and better offensive players around him.
Michael Mayer
Mayer was the top tight end in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Raiders believed so much in Mayer that they traded up to get him. However, the regime that drafted Mayer could not figure out how to get him the ball his rookie season. That regime was eliminated the following offseason.
That same offseason, the Raiders brought in Tom Telesco, who wisely drafted arguably the best tight end to ever play college football, Brock Bowers. Las Vegas had another subpar year but Bowers had a historical season, overshadowing Mayer. However, Mayer has still shown glimpses at times.
The bigger question with Mayer is why none of the several coaching staffs he has had in his career have maximized his talent, with or without Bowers on the field. Mayer is undeniably talented and would excel on several other teams around the National Football League.
Like O’Connell, six different offensive coordinators in an offensive player’s first three seasons in the league is a recipe for disaster.
Jackson Powers-Johnson
Powers-Johnson is undeniably a starting offensive lineman in the league. Since the Raiders drafted him last offseason, he has confirmed that Las Vegas is a better team with him at center. The second half of his rookie season was proof of this, as the Raiders’ offensive line improved after that change.
Still, Chip Kelly, Pete and Brennan Carroll collectively decided Powers-Johnson was better at guard, when everyone inside and outside of the organization disagreed. Powers-Johnson entered this season expected to cement himself as one of the best offensive linemen in the league–at center.
It is said that players improve the most between their first and second seasons in the league. Powers-Johnson was on track to do so, before Carroll and his coaching staff let things other than football get in the way of making the decision that was obviously the best for the team this season.
That led to a lost season for Powers-Johnson and the Raiders.
