Las Vegas Raiders

After hiring John Spytek as their new general manager earlier this week, the Las Vegas Raiders now have their new head coach in Pete Carroll.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the longtime Seattle Seahawks coach agreed to terms with the Raiders on a three-year deal that includes a fourth-year team option.

The agreement between Spytek and the Raiders appeared to be the direct result of Tom Brady's influence on the organization as part of their ownership group.

Spytek was a special teams player at the University of Michigan during Brady's senior season in 1999. The 44-year-old worked in the front office for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Brady played for the team from 2020 to 2022.

There had been speculation that the Raiders were hoping to land Ben Johnson as their head coach, but Johnson wound up accepting that position with the Chicago Bears.

Carroll is returning to the NFL one year after he parted ways with the Seahawks. His comments after that happened seemed to indicate it was not exactly a mutual decision.

"I competed pretty hard to be the coach, just so you know. ... My intention to return ... that was true to the bone. I want to make sure that that's clear as things have shifted so quickly," Carroll told reporters.

The Raiders offer Carroll an opportunity to rebound after a difficult end to his 14-year tenure in Seattle. He will lead what's likely to be a rebuilding effort with a team coming off a 4-13 season and $94 million in cap space this offseason, plus the No. 6 pick in the draft.

The biggest question the Raiders have to answer is what to do at quarterback. Gardner Minshew II and Aidan O'Connell are both under contract in 2025, but neither one has shown enough to be guaranteed a starting job.

Carroll has had success leading rebuilding teams in his career. He was hired by the Seahawks in 2009 when they were coming off a 5-11 record the previous year. They made the playoffs in his first season, albeit with a 7-9 record, and won a Super Bowl in his fourth season.

The Raiders have made the playoffs twice since 2003 and haven't won a playoff game since Jan. 19, 2003.

The Las Vegas Raiders are reportedly eyeing a pair of NFL veterans in their search for a new head coach.

NFL insider Josina Anderson reported on Thursday that former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo have been drawing interest from the Raiders recently. Two sources told Anderson that they believe Carroll is "in the lead" at the moment, but nothing is official yet.

The Raiders checked the first key item off their agenda on Wednesday by hiring Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant general manager John Spytek as their next GM.

Per ESPN's Paul Gutierrez, Spytek will have the assignment to hire the head coach, and Carroll has already been interviewed by the team along with Ron Rivera, Robert Saleh and Vance Joseph. All of those candidates have previous head coaching experience, and Gutierrez pointed out that team owner Mark Davis said in the past that he wasn't comfortable pairing a first-time GM with a first-year head coach.

Las Vegas went 4-13 in its first full year under former head coach Antonio Pierce, who had been promoted from interim head coach to the permanent position just over a year ago. The team will have the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, and it has a promising piece to build around in tight end Brock Bowers, who was named first-team All-Pro and earned a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie.

The Raiders are one of four teams remaining with head coach openings along with the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars. It wouldn't be a surprise if Spytek and company tried to move quickly to secure their top candidate to fill their vacancy and start preparing for the 2025 campaign.

Looking for a fresh start, the Las Vegas Raiders have landed on John Spytek to be their next general manager.

The team made the move official on Friday after ESPN's Adam Schefter reported earlier in the week that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant general manager was finalizing an agreement with the franchise

This marks the second straight offseason the Raiders went through a search for a new head coach and general manager. Last year, they opted to retain Antonio Pierce as head coach after he had a successful stint in an interim role.

The Raiders surprised many by going with former Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco, who was fired by L.A. late in the 2023 season after a 63-21 loss to Vegas, to be their GM in 2024.

Neither decision wound up working out, as the Raiders finished last in the AFC West with a 4-13 record. Both Telesco and Pierce were fired by the team shortly after the end of the regular season.

The Athletic's Tashan Reed noted the Raiders initially planned to keep Telesco, but the opportunity "to start with a clean slate" by having a new coach and GM on the same timeline proved to be appealing.

Even though the Telesco era was brief and largely unsuccessful, he did nail his only first-round pick by selecting Brock Bowers with the No. 13 selection in the 2024 draft. The 22-year-old became the fourth tight end in NFL history to earn All-Pro first-team honors as a rookie.

There aren't many foundational pieces currently on the roster in Vegas, but Bowers is certainly one. Maxx Crosby could be another one, but he hasn't sounded thrilled about the constant coach and front-office turnover.

It could also be more beneficial for Spytek to trade a player of immense value like Crosby, who could bring back multiple first-round picks, to accelerate the timeline of this latest rebuild.

Regardless of everything else the Raiders do, they have to figure out an answer at quarterback. They're already in a difficult position playing in the same division as the Kansas City Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid; Los Angeles Chargers with Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh; and Denver Broncos with Bo Nix and Sean Payton.

The Raiders have had seven different quarterbacks start a game since the 2022 season, including five over the past two years after releasing Derek Carr in February 2023.

Spytek has a difficult task ahead of him to get the Raiders back on track, but hopefully he will be given some time to at least see their plan through for an organization that has lacked stability for a long time.

The Raiders are getting someone with a wealth of NFL knowledge and experience to run their front office.

Spytek has been working in the league for 21 seasons since he was hired as an operations intern by the Detroit Lions in 2004. He's had jobs with five different organizations ranging from an intern to pro scout to director of college scouting.

The most recent job for Spytek was as assistant general manager for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the past two seasons. He was in the Bucs front office when Tom Brady joined the team in 2020.

Fixing the Raiders is a monumental task, but Spytek has a strong track record of team building from his eight seasons with the Bucs.

Don't be surprised if the Las Vegas Raiders target Sam Darnold in free agency this offseason.

"At Pick 6, [the Raiders] are out of range for a quarterback unless they move up, which wouldn't be smart based on the amount of holes they have," a high-ranking personnel man from an NFL team told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "They need every pick. They have flexibility within the cap to get it done."

There are a lot of variables to sort out here, of course.

The first is the Minnesota Vikings and whether they want to bring Darnold back. The issue there is that the free agency market could price them out. Alongside the Raiders, teams like the New York Giants or Pittsburgh Steelers could have eyes for Darnold, and with J.J. McCarthy waiting in the wings, the Vikings may not be inclined to splash major cash to win the Darnold sweepstakes.

As Fowler noted, "Most execs polled believe Darnold belongs in the Geno Smith/Baker Mayfield class of contracts, somewhere in the range of three years and $100 million."

The Vikings could instead use that money to build a loaded roster around McCarthy's rookie contract, similar to the approach the San Francisco 49ers took with Brock Purdy.

Another factor to consider is whether the next head coach in Las Vegas sees Darnold as the right fit for his system. The 27-year-old had a career year in 2024, throwing for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while leading the Vikings to the playoffs, but head coach Kevin O'Connell is something of a quarterback whisperer and Darnold's tenures with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers weren't pretty.

But even so, Darnold is still a better option than paying a massive price to trade up for a top-two pick to select Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders at the 2025 NFL draft, and the quarterback class behind those two is pretty weak. The options at quarterback in free agency aren't much better (unless Russell Wilson or Justin Fields are your particular cup of tea).

The Raiders have a superstar-in-the-making at tight end in Brock Bowers and a solid wideout in Jakobi Meyers, so Darnold wouldn't be without weapons.

They also have $95.6 million in estimated cap space, second in the NFL, which is the sort of money that would allow them to sign Darnold and add veteran help around him. It's not a bad plan for Las Vegas, giving them a major upgrade at the position in the short term and the flexibility to seek out a long-term solution down the line.

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby's future with the team appears to be uncertain.

During an appearance on Good Morning Football on Friday, Crosby said that "a lot of things need to be discussed" about his future and the lack of guaranteed money remaining on his contract.

"I'm currently under contract, but I have no guaranteed money left," Crosby said on Friday, via Tashan Reed of The Athletic. "There are a lot of things that need to be discussed. ... Regardless, I'm in a great place, and we're going to have those discussions real soon."

Crosby has been with the Raiders since 2019 and is a four-time Pro Bowler with 59.5 career sacks. He had 45 tackles, 20 quarterback hits and 7.5 sacks in 12 games in 2024. Despite his solid production, Las Vegas went 5-12 and their postseason drought extended to three seasons.

Crosby is under contract through 2026 but the guaranteed money portion of his contract is over. The Raiders will have a new head coach and general manager in the building in 2025 and the direction of the franchise may not include Crosby, as he would provide more value to a contending team that a rebuilding one.

Raiders owner Mark Davis has expressed his desire to keep Crosby but the 27-year-old could have solid value on the trade market and some draft capital could help accelerate the Raiders rebuild.

Former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is reportedly considered the Las Vegas Raiders' "top option," after Ben Johnson landed Chicago's heads coaching job, according to league sources cited by The Athletic's Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed.

In addition, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is also considered a "strong candidate." However, league sources believe he is more likely to end up with the New Orleans Saints, a team he both played for and previously coached, per Tafur and Reed.

The Raiders were a top contender to land Johnson after their interview went "really well," but NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that the Raiders were never the front runner and Chicago was the "early favorite in the process."

Carroll also interviewed for the Bears' head coaching job before the position ultimately went to Johnson, according to Reed.

Minority owner Tom Brady and Raiders owner Mark Davis were reportedly ready to offer Johnson a lucrative contract and input on the general manager decision, per The Athletic's Tafur and Reed. However, questions about the quarterback situation remain.

The 4-13 Raiders struggled at quarterback throughout the season, with Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew II falling short of being ideal franchise options. The lack of consistency around the Raider's quarterback is one of the main reasons that Johnson signed with the Bears, instead opting for former No. 1 pick Caleb Williams, per The Athletic's Dianna Russini.

For now, the Raiders are all in on pursuing Pete Carroll, an 18-year NFL coach who is 73 years old.

Carroll, who spent 14 years with the Seahawks, appeared in back-to-back Super Bowls, winning one in 2013. He left Seattle in 2023 with a franchise-record 147 wins.

The buzz around Ben Johnson and the Las Vegas Raiders appears to have been a facade.

The Detroit Lions offensive coordinator agreed to become the new head coach of the Chicago Bears on Monday, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. This came despite rumors that Johnson's interview with the Las Vegas Raiders went well and that Johnson was viewed as the team's top choice.

Despite the clear pursuit from the Raiders and minority owner Tom Brady, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reported that the Raiders were "never" the front-runners for Johnson.

Johnson only interviewed with the New England Patriots, Raiders and Bears. The Patriots came off the list when they hired Mike Vrabel. Las Vegas is now the only one of those three that doesn't have a head coach.

Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that the Jacksonville Jaguars were also interested in Johnson, but the "setup" of the franchise wasn't what 38-year-old desired for his first head coaching gig.

Johnson was one of the most sought-after coaching candidates in the current cycle due to the success he had with the Lions. The Lions finished with a top-five offense in all three of his seasons as the offensive coordinator.

He now goes to a Bears team with a promising young quarterback in Caleb Williams, strong receivers in Rome Odunze and D.J. Moore and an overall roster that has the talent to make a quick turnaround.

On the other hand, Las Vegas has several major roster questions and need to rebuild. The Raiders don't have a clear answer at quarterback, and they may not be in position to get a top-tier signal-caller with the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Brady's presence could have made the Raiders job more attractive, but the overall uncertainty surrounding the team appears to have made Johnson's decision to head to Chicago easier.

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who has been the subject of head coaching hiring rumors for years, could finally take the jump this offseason.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer wrote Monday that he thinks Johnson "is much more ready to take a job now than he was the past couple of years."

"I don't know if losing the way Detroit did might lure him back for one last run with Campbell, but I do know his interest in the Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars jobs is real," Breer wrote.

NFL insider Josina Anderson reported Johnson is believed to be "deeply considering" the Bears job:

The Lions, who earned a first-round bye after finishing the regular season as the No. 1 seed in the NFC, were eliminated Saturday after being upset by the Washington Commanders in the Divisional round.

The early exit means both Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who have both been the subject of hiring rumors this winter, can begin seriously considering jobs outside of Detroit.

CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones reported earlier this month that Raiders minority owner Tom Brady "has been doing all he can to woo Johnson" as a replacement for former head coach Antonio Pierce.

Jones then reported after the Lions' surprise playoff exit that the Raiders "are going to make a big push in the coming days" to hire Johnson.

ESPN's Adam Schefter meanwhile reported Sunday that the Raiders were interviewing former Lions executive Lance Newmark for their open general manager position. Newmark is "said to have a strong relationship" with Johnson and Glenn, Schefter noted.

Breer called the reported Newmark interview "proof positive of how serious Johnson is" about considering the open Raiders position.

"Tom Brady's been a difference-maker in Vegas's pursuit," Breer added.

NBC Sports' Mike Florio previously reported that Johnson will prioritize "alignment" with a team's front office when making his decision as to which position to pursue for 2025.

The Jaguars have so far retained general manager Trent Baalke after firing head coach Doug Pederson, but Breer recently reported he would "guess that Trent Baalke is gone" if Johnson is hired.

Johnson has also been tied to the head coaching vacancy in Chicago throughout the season, although general manager Ryan Poles is still in place with the Bears.

Given that the Raiders and Jaguars could change their front office decisions based on Johnson's answer, whichever decision he ultimately makes will impact the 2025 hiring cycle not just for head coaches but for general managers as well.