In a lot of ways, this season has been a major success.

[heavyD]

Title sounds silly but hear me out. The Vegas odds on the Raiders 2025 regular season record was 7.5 so lets say the Raiders meet expectations and win 7 or 8 games with a mediocre Geno Smith and 74 year old Pete Carroll who clearly isn't the coach he used to be. The organization would have likely been compelled to bring it all back for the 2026 season and keep going with the Band-Aid QB approach, once again not drafting a QB in the first round as they would be picking around 15/16. It's very possible the 2026 season could have melted down like this one with Pete being a year older, Smith being older and worse, etc. Bottom line is that the organization would continue treading the waters of losing and mediocrity. Seems like this season was always the eventual conclusion to the Carroll/Smith experiment and giving them another season would have been simply kicking the can down the road and going through this one year later.

As of now everything is clear going into the offseason. There will be no tough decisions on the coaching staff or starting QB. They are both gone and the team will very likely draft a QB with their top 3 pick. Now that in itself doesn't guarantee anything, but it's very clear that the veteran QB Band-Aid approach is not working and to unearth the next franchise QB, you have to draft them. It may not work out but they have to try or the seasons will continue to be pointless. Also a top 3 pick is going to be attractive to top head coach candidates as they know a rookie QB buys them time and it's an opportunity to build around their guy. Maybe, just maybe, the Raiders finally get something right in the offseason finding their QB and head coach. The odds are probably slim because a lot of QB's bust and Mark Davis is still in the building, but really it's the first time in a long time there is truly hope for better as there's real opportunity here for the organization to lay down the foundation to better days.

[Viper]

Not only does a new coach have a high draft pick to take his Qb, he has many draft picks coming at the top of each round, loads of cash and a handful of talented players already on the team. He would come in knowing he has a few years to turn this around.
Bigger question in my mind is who would we pick to coach this team. The right one is bigger/as big as anything else I mentioned.

[Willmark]

Not only does a new coach have a high draft pick to take his Qb, he has many draft picks coming at the top of each round, loads of cash and a handful of talented players already on the team. He would come in knowing he has a few years to turn this around.
Bigger question in my mind is who would we pick to coach this team. The right one is bigger/as big as anything else I mentioned.

Joe Brady, Bills OC if he decided to leave?

[Hellbound]

Joe Brady, Bills OC if he decided to leave?

Never got the allure with him. He rode Burrow's coattails in college, flamed out in Carolina though it was the Rhule regime, and in Buffalo his entire game plan is to hand it off to Cook or tell Allen to throw on his Superman cape
He has done some good things albeit with great qbs. He flat out sucked in Carolina but Rhule flamed out too. He is still fairly young and does have a long history of coaching including a stint with Payton on Nola so those are some positives

[Raidernation1979]

Joe Brady is solid and eons better than daboll. I watch a lot of Bills due to gf being a fan. He still tends away from the run too often. Like most coaches makes a few bonehead wtf calls a game.

[Attyla]

[mranquales]

I agree. If the season ends with the Raiders in the top 3 of the draft, I'm grateful to Pete Carroll for finally coaching the Raiders far enough into the ground that we come out of the other side better. I believe this is a 6-win team that is a QB and a WR1 away from being a wildcard team. It takes a special kind of coach to make us underachieve in such a drastic way, especially with our easy schedule.

[LayneStaley]

It’s gonna be number 1 or outside the top 5 imo. I honestly think we are finally getting number 1. I just hope Mendoza is the answer(with a new OL via FA).

[KillerRaider30]

I agree
1.Didn't take 4 years off Jeantys career by running him 25 times/G into a brick wall.
2. Kolton deserves and could use a year off.
3. JPJ will be a better center by playing gaurd all year. Knowing now C/RG and can teach a RG/RG.

What else

[DanKD]

Lets wait until we finish the job. Four more losses to go

[RunOverByHubbard]

Lets wait until we finish the job. Four more losses to go

Right on. We could win a game or even two and then how we will all feel? Not in good moods.

[raiders93]

Definitely the worst place to be is hovering around 0.500. Either be really good…. Or really bad. There’s no consolation prize for being the team that struggles and wins 6 games - no medal for being one of the better teams not in the playoffs.

Let’s just hope we don’t have any Rudy moments left in us.

[charlieinblack]

im assuming pete only took the job knowing this season would crash and burn and, next season, with high picks and that loose change some teams call a wage cap, we might get competitive.
might doing mucho heavy lifting here.

[RunOverByHubbard]

I have to disagree. Some major problems with this season override any successes. First, we overpaid for Geno Smith both in the trade (a 3rd round choice) and his contract (which is bloated). Second, Pete Carroll may be a bust as a coach at this point. He made some bad coaching hires and he is starting to look kind of lost out on the field and in pressers. Third, our 2025 draft choices have not helped much. Fourth, we might have the worst offensive line in the league. Fifth, we might have the worst back 7 on defense in the league. I am finding it hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

[CWood24]

Even if we don’t get the No.1 to get Mendoza i think i’d still be happy because there are some elite looking OL in this draft

If you cam put together a top tier OL that would give Jeanty space to work in then it would help what ever QB (as average as they might be) is back there to atleast keep the offence moving