Raiders Rumors: Pete Carroll Seen as Leader for HC Job; Chiefs’ Spagnuolo Linked
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.
