Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders are going into the 2025 season with a new head coach, but they are reportedly working toward maintaining some continuity at the defensive coordinator spot.

NFL insider Josina Anderson reported Wednesday that Las Vegas is "working on a deal" to bring back Patrick Graham as defensive coordinator on head coach Pete Carroll's staff. He was the team's D.C. for each of the last three seasons.

Las Vegas may have some competition, as the Jacksonville Jaguars announced Monday they interviewed Graham for their D.C. position.

That was all the more notable because Jacksonville interviewed him multiple times for its head coaching vacancy as well before it hired Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen.

Graham has a number of stops on his resume and first entered the NFL as a coach in 2009 as an assistant for the New England Patriots. He stayed with New England for seven seasons in various roles before he was hired as the defensive line coach of the New York Giants in 2016.

He stayed in New York for two years, went to the Green Bay Packers in 2018, went to the Miami Dolphins in 2019 as the D.C. and then returned to the Giants as the D.C. in 2020. He was the D.C. in New York for two seasons before joining the Raiders.

Unfortunately for Graham, his defenses have never been dominant from a statistical perspective when he is the D.C.

He has never had a defense finish better than 12th in the league in yards allowed or ninth in the league in points allowed. What's more, four of his six defenses were 23rd or worse in the league in points allowed, including last year's Raiders team.

Las Vegas was 15th in the league in yards allowed and 25th in points allowed on the way to a 4-13 record and last-place finish in the AFC West.

Yet the front office and Carroll surely believe in Graham's ability to turn things around if they are working toward bringing him back on the new staff.

There is reportedly some belief within the NFL that head coach Pete Carroll and quarterback Russell Wilson could be headed for a reunion with the Las Vegas Raiders.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, two anonymous former Carroll assistant coaches said they believe Wilson and Carroll can co-exist after they "rekindled their relationship" on the heels of a "rocky ending" together with the Seattle Seahawks.

One of Carroll's former assistants told Fowler, "I think both would be open to it, especially with this QB class the way it is," and another predicted that the Raiders will sign Wilson in free agency.

Last week, the Raiders announced the hiring of Carroll as their new head coach following the firing of Antonio Pierce.

Carroll was the Seahawks' head coach from 2010 to 2023, and Wilson was his starting quarterback for much of that tenure, serving in that role from 2012 through 2021.

The Seahawks went 104-53-1 in games Wilson started, reached the playoffs eight times and made it to two Super Bowls, winning one.

Wilson was traded from the Seahawks to the Denver Broncos before the 2022 season, and Carroll stayed on as the head coach in Seattle for two more years, going 9-8 each season with one playoff berth and no playoff wins.

Aside from landing a massive contract extension, the move to Denver did not work out well for Wilson.

In his first season with the Broncos, he went 4-11 and and had the worst statistical season of his career, throwing for 3,524 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Wilson improved the next season following the arrival of head coach Sean Payton, throwing 26 touchdowns and just eight picks, but once the Broncos were eliminated from playoff contention, Wilson was benched and ultimately cut once the season ended.

The 36-year-old signal-caller landed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a low-cost, one-year deal, and he experienced his fair share of ups and downs during his one season in the Steel City.

After missing the first six games of the season due to injury, Wilson went 6-5 in 11 starts, completing 63.7 percent of his passes for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Despite the Steelers losing their final four games of the regular season, they reached the playoffs with a 10-7 record, although they fell 28-14 to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Wild Card Round.

The Raiders have now missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons, and their 4-13 record in 2024 was their worst since going 3-13 in 2014.

Pierce was fired after only one full season on the job, but he was arguably merely the scapegoat for the Raiders' shortcomings at quarterback.

Free-agent signing Gardner Minshew fell flat to the tune of nine touchdown passes and 10 interceptions, while second-year man Aidan O'Connell had eight touchdowns and four picks, but went just 2-5 as a starter.

The Raiders hired Carroll in hopes of changing the culture and getting back to their winning ways, but that won't be possible without stabilizing the quarterback position.

Vegas has the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, so while it is possible Miami quarterback Cam Ward or Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders could fall to that spot, it is far from guaranteed with quarterback-needy teams owning the top three picks.

Wilson could be a quality stopgap until the Raiders find their long-term answer under center since he would likely be cheap and has plenty of experience succeeding with Carroll as his head coach.

New Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll was noncommittal when asked about the possibility of a Russell Wilson reunion on the AFC West team.

"Right now, it's so early and we're just in the midst of trying to find the puzzle pieces, not even putting them together yet," he said during a discussion with Suzy Shuster and Amy Trask. "So I can't even say. Free agency hasn't come yet. … I mean I can guess, but it would just be a guess. But I promise you, if you're a real competitor, you're not letting options get away from you. So we're going to consider every option as a possibility."

It didn't take long for speculation to begin regarding Wilson after the Raiders hired Carroll.

Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported Wilson was a name "to watch" as a potential "stopgap while the Raiders develop a long-term answer" after he and his former Seattle Seahawks coach "mended fences."

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport also pointed out Wilson was interested in going to the Raiders last offseason.

Carroll was the head coach of the Seahawks when the team selected Wilson in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft. The signal-caller spent the first 10 years of his career in Seattle and built a resume that included a Super Bowl ring and nine Pro Bowl appearances.

However, he has not been the same quarterback since during stops on the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers. He went 11-19 as a starter across two seasons in Denver and threw for just 2,482 yards this past season in Pittsburgh.

While Carroll wouldn't get the same version of Wilson he had in Seattle, he could still be a veteran leader for the team as it looks for a long-term answer at the position. Perhaps the Raiders will select a quarterback in the 2025 NFL draft, which would allow someone like Wilson to be a mentor before eventually handing over the job.

If that is the plan, Carroll didn't offer many hints with his latest comments.

Amid rumors about quarterback Russell Wilson joining the Las Vegas Raiders, head coach Pete Carroll is potentially setting up a Seattle Seahawks reunion with his new team.

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Raiders interviewed the Miami Dolphins quarterbacks and passing game coach Darrell Bevell on Tuesday for their offensive coordinator position. Bevell was the Seahawks offensive coordinator from 2011 to 2017, winning a Super Bowl with Carroll and Wilson.

The Athletic's Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur reported Monday that Bevell is believed to be the favorite to join Carroll's staff as offensive coordinator.

Bevell began his NFL coaching career with the Green Bay Packers before becoming the Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator in 2006. That job led to him landing a position on Carroll's Seahawks staff in 2011, and he had plenty of success in Seattle.

The Seahawks missed the playoffs just twice during his tenure—his first and last season at the helm. They won the NFC West three times and reached the divisional round or better five times. Seattle made two Super Bowl appearances, winning in 2013.

Since his time in Seattle ended, Bevell has been an offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars. He joined Miami's staff in 2022 and was instrumental in leading one of the best offenses in the league in 2023.

Should Bevell join Carroll in Las Vegas, it's reasonable to think the Raiders would push hard to bring Wilson onto the roster in free agency. Wilson has had a handful of forgettable years since leaving the Seahawks but could revitalize his career with a pair of his former coaches.

It's also worth noting that Carroll wants to field a competitive team in his first year rather than guiding Las Vegas through a rebuild.

"It took us a few years to get to the very top of the last couple programs I was with," Carroll told reporters at his introductory press conference on Monday. "We're starting right now and going for it immediately. … We're going to start right now, (we're) going to go after it and build this team as quickly as we can."

Whether Bevell is the offensive coordinator and Wilson is the quarterback for Carroll's win-now scheme is to be seen.

Pete Carroll will continue to teach a course at USC after accepting the Las Vegas Raiders' head coaching job, according to TMZ Sports.

Carroll became a co-instructor for the class after his 14-year head coaching career with the Seattle Seahawks came to an end after the 2023 season. The course, which is called "The Game Is Life," focuses on personal development post-grad for senior students (via TMZ Sports).

The class is only taught in the spring so it shouldn't affect his preparation during training camp as well as the 2025 regular season, per Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times.

Las Vegas announced the hiring of Carroll on Saturday.

Time to com𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲.

Welcome to the Silver & Black, Head Coach Pete Carroll. pic.twitter.com/VnseVUUhc5

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) January 25, 2025

ESPN's Adam Schefter noted that he signed a three-year contract with a fourth-year team option.

Carroll spent nine years as the Trojans' head coach prior to his Seahawks tenure. The 73-year-old coached at USC from 2001 through the 2009 season, winning two national championships with the school. One of the titles was later vacated.

The Raiders will be hoping that Carroll can bring a level of consistent success to the team, as they've made just one playoff appearance over the past eight seasons. Las Vegas struggled on both sides of the ball in 2024, owning the fourth-worst scoring offense as well as the eighth-worst scoring defense in the league.

While the Raiders navigate through their first offseason with Carroll, the head coach will also continue teaching a class at USC.

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll knows his top priority with his new team is to find a franchise quarterback, and he plans to take advantage of the best resource available to him.

During his introductory press conference on Monday, Carroll told reporters that the Raiders are "going to lean on" part-owner Tom Brady "as much as we possibly can for his insights" in the search for a quarterback of the future.

The Raiders went 4-13 in 2024 while rotating between quarterbacks Gardner Minshew, Aidan O'Connell and Desmond Ridder. Las Vegas will have the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, so there's a chance it could miss out on top quarterback prospects like Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward if it doesn't trade up.

Carroll explained to reporters that he wouldn't pass up on the opportunity to figure out the quarterback position with Brady, who secured a five-percent ownership stake in the Raiders in October.

"It's our mission to build this football team up around the quarterback position. This isn't the only spot," Carroll said. "We happen to have the greatest of all time to help us, and to see clearly, and we're going to lean on Tom as much as we possibly can for his insights because nobody has the insights that he has. He's that unique."

Brady also works as Fox's lead NFL analyst. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported on Monday that the 47-year-old had some influence in the Raiders' hiring of Carroll, but he added that "he won't have a day-to-day presence in the organization, at least in the beginning" because his family still resides in Florida.

Still, Carroll said it would be a mistake to not pick Brady's brain, as the seven-time Super Bowl champion is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play football.

"Coach [Bill] Walsh taught me a long time ago that it's the hardest position in professional sports to play, so we need to make it as easy as possible. And we'll go about doing that by running the football, protecting him, taking care of the ball, playing great defense, and kicking the football when we want to kick it," Carroll said. "So, there's a lot that goes into this. But to think about how fortunate we are to have Tom Brady with us — it's just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

New Las Vegas Raiders part-owner Tom Brady reportedly made his presence felt in the team's decision to hire Pete Carroll as its next head coach.

According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, a "few connected people" said early in the Raiders' head coaching search "not to underestimate Brady's own experiences in the search—and how the respect he had for Carroll had always been apparent." Brady and the Raiders reportedly viewed Carroll as "someone who could energize the building and give the team an identity."

Brady, who also works as Fox's lead NFL color analyst, joined the Raiders' ownership group with a five-percent stake in October. The seven-time Super Bowl champion is reportedly expected to ease his way into his role with Las Vegas.

"Brady's influence will be there, but his family is in Florida, so he won't have a day-to-day presence in the organization, at least in the beginning," Breer stated.

The 73-year-old Carroll will be the oldest coach in NFL history when he takes the field for the Raiders in 2025. Breer noted that he will try to add a clear successor to his staff to create some stability for Las Vegas upon his eventual retirement.

"In preparing to try to land a coaching job over the past year, Carroll talked a lot about finding an assistant or two to put on his staff whom he felt could succeed him (like Bruce Arians did with Todd Bowles and Leftwich in Tampa)," Breer explained. "I don't know who those guys will be, but it does seem like that'll be part of his plan."

Tom Brady might be looking for a change of address.

According to Felipe Marques, Ezra Fieser, and Anna J Kaiser of Bloomberg,

Brady's mansion at Florida's Indian Creek island—which has been dubbed the Billionaire Bunker—is "being shown to a small group of potential buyers, according to people familiar with the matter. While there's no official listing, the newly finished house has already received bids valuing it at more than $150 million, three people said, asking not to be identified discussing the private information."

Tom Brady is quietly shopping his ‘Billionaire Bunker’ Florida mansion for $150M https://t.co/ECCxs0YKHL pic.twitter.com/cxFXO03Xg1

— New York Post (@nypost) January 23, 2025

According to Mary K. Jacob of the New York Post, Brady bought the two-acre property for $17 million in 2020 alongside his ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen, and built the home "from scratch," which features a "two-story waterfront home, a separate gym and a cabana."

It could signal a move back to the West Coast for Brady, who is currently both a Fox Sports color commentator and a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. Per Jacob, Brady has a "14,000-square-foot Brentwood, California estate that he is currently renovating."

The Las Vegas Raiders found their replacement for Antonio Pierce on Friday, hiring Pete Carroll as their new head coach, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Vegas is coming off a 4-13 season and has missed the playoffs three straight years, plus it is poised to have its fifth different head coach in five seasons when taking both full-time and interim head coaches into account.

The Raiders have been a team in turmoil in recent years, but Carroll could potentially be a perfect fit in terms of righting the ship, as the 73-year-old went 137-89-1 with 10 playoff appearances and one Super Bowl win during his 14-year run with the Seattle Seahawks.

With that said, Carroll has a huge job ahead of him due to the fact that the Raiders' roster is lacking in several areas, as evidenced by their current depth chart for 2025:

Offense

QB: Aidan O'Connell/Gardner Minshew II/Desmond Ridder (RFA)

RB: Sincere McCormick/Zamir White/Dylan Laube/Chris Collier

WR1: Jakobi Meyers

WR2: Tre Tucker/Ramel Keyton

WR3: DJ Turner (RFA)/Jeff Foreman

TE: Brock Bowers/Michael Mayer/Justin Shorter

LT: Kolton Miller

LG: Jackson Powers-Johnson

C: Andre James

RG: Dylan Parham/Jordan Meredith (ERFA)

RT: DJ Glaze/Thayer Munford Jr.

---

Defense

DE: Maxx Crosby/Andre Carter II

DT: Christian Wilkins/Matthew Butler (ERFA)/Tomari Fox

DT: Jonah Laulu/Zach Carter (RFA)

DE: Tyree Wilson/Charles Snowden (ERFA)

WLB: Luke Masterson (RFA)/Tommy Eichenberg/Amari Gainer

MLB: Amari Burney/Kana'i Mauga (ERFA)

CB: Jack Jones/Sam Webb (ERFA)/Kyu Blu Kelly (ERFA)

CB: Jakorian Bennett/Decamerion Richardson

SS: Thomas Harper/Trey Taylor

FS: Isaiah Pola-Mao (RFA)/Chris Smith II

---

Of course, the Raiders figure to make plenty of additions via the draft and free agency, but their existing roster severely lacks depth behind a handful of star players such as tight end Brock Bowers, defensive end Maxx Crosby and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.

OverTheCap.com projects the Raiders to have $92.522 million in salary cap space entering the offseason, which is the second-most in the NFL behind only the New England Patriots.

That suggests the Raiders could be highly active in free agency, especially when it comes to addressing the quarterback position.

Neither Aidan O'Connell nor Gardner Minshew provided the Raiders with enough consistency from under center, meaning figuring out the quarterback situation should be Vegas' No. 1 priority this offseason.

Since the Raiders may not have a high enough pick in the 2025 NFL draft to land a top quarterback prospect, their best move at quarterback may be to sign Sam Darnold, who is coming off a career year with the Minnesota Vikings.

Darnold went 14-3 and completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2024, but the Vikings may let him walk due to the presence of 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy.

Cheaper options could include Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins if the Atlanta Falcons release the latter, but Darnold has the highest upside.

With regard to the draft, the Raiders possess their own pick in each of the seven rounds, plus they have an extra third-round pick by virtue of trading wide receiver Davante Adams to the New York Jets.

Vegas will pick sixth overall in the first round, meaning Miami quarterback Cam Ward and Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders could both be gone by the time they pick.

If that is the case, the Raiders have several other needs they could address with Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter, Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham standing out as some of the best non-quarterbacks in a highly regarded draft class.

Russell Wilson could be headed for a reunion with Pete Carroll.

After Carroll reportedly agreed to become the next head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported that former Seahawks and current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson is a "name to watch" for Vegas in free agency.

With Pete Carroll taking over the Raiders, one name I’ve heard to watch at QB: Russell Wilson.

They’ve mended fences, per source, and Wilson could be a stopgap while the Raiders develop a long-term answer.

— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) January 24, 2025

Howe reported that Wilson and Carroll have "mended fences" and that a reunion between the coach and quarterback could provide a "stopgap" for the team as it searches for a "long-term answer" at quarterback.

Russell Wilson wanted to go the #Raiders last offseason... https://t.co/AICEfQSjK7

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 24, 2025

Wilson was Seattle's quarterback for 10 seasons, all of which came under Carroll. That was the best stretch of his career and Carroll's 14-season tenure with the Seahawks, as the team compiled an overall record of 105-55-1 and reached two Super Bowls, winning one.

Wilson threw for 37,059 yards with 292 touchdowns and 87 interceptions during his time with Seattle, earning eight Pro Bowl nods. He was dealt to the Denver Broncos ahead of the 2022 season, while Carroll and the Seahawks moved forward with Geno Smith at quarterback in 2022 and 2023 before Carroll's departure last January.

Wilson's time in Denver was less successful, as he went 11-19 as a starter and was cut following the 2023 season. He spent 2024 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and threw for 2,482 yards with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions in 11 games while helping to lead the team to a playoff appearance.

He is not under contract for 2025 but could opt to return to the Steelers. Pittsburgh also could shift toward Justin Fields or another option at quarterback for the future, which could make Las Vegas and a reunion with Carroll a more plausible option.