HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — A team doesn't hire a coach in his 70s with the expectation of rebuilding — and that certainly wasn't Pete Carroll's mindset when he took over the Raiders in January.
Las Vegas' moves since then to bring in veteran players, many coached by Carroll in Seattle, underscore the Raiders don't have the intention of taking a longer view.
The club's 2-6 start suggests maybe it should.
But with Tuesday's trade deadline staring the Raiders
in the face, Carroll made it clear Monday he was thinking more short term than long. He was asked whether he would consider making a deal that might not pay off immediately but would be beneficial in the long run.
“It never comes to my mind at all,” Carroll said. "We’re trying to get better right now and see what we can get done.”
Carroll, of course, isn't the general manager — John Spytek holds that title — but many of the transactions appear to have Carroll's fingerprints all over them. Both have said they work together, but the details on how that actually breaks down is fuzzy.
There is little doubt Carroll would have taken this job if he hadn't been promised a major say in personnel.
No matter who's calling the shots, Carroll finds himself in a place familiar to most Raiders first-year coaches. The club has hired 11 coaches (not including interims) since 2004, and eight have gone 2-6 or worse in their first eight games.
That includes the other three most recent hires — Antonio Pierce last season, Josh McDaniels in 2022 and Jon Gruden in 2018.
It’s a track record that shows the approach to constantly think about winning immediately hasn’t worked. The Raiders have never undergone a true rebuild, and owner Mark Davis has talked many times about how hungry he is to win, a major reason he brought in Tom Brady as a minority owner.
So instead of the Raiders positioning themselves for a high draft pick next year, they will see if they can put together a much stronger half of the season. There is a reason to think they can accomplish that.
This is the healthiest the Raiders have been since the season opener and Las Vegas is two plays from being 4-4 and a much different outlook. Chicago blocked what would have been the winning field goal, and Jacksonville knocked down the 2-point pass in overtime on Sunday.
But the rest of the schedule isn't easy. The Raiders might be favored when Cleveland visits Nov. 23 and the New York Giants come to town in Week 17. It's difficult, however, to find many wins on the remaining schedule, so the Raiders might wind up with a high draft pick anyway, whether they want it or not.
A healthy Brock Bowers showed Sunday why even as a second-year pro he's the NFL's best tight end. He came back after a three-game layoff because of a knee injury to catch 12 passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns. And just like last year's historic rookie season, Bowers continues to do things few others at his position have accomplished.
Special teams continues to struggle, which couldn't have been on many bingo cards when the season began. Against Jacksonville, Daniel Carlson's missed extra point in the second quarter proved especially costly, and it didn't help to surrender a 54-yard kickoff return to open overtime and help set up the winning TD.
One advantage to having Bowers back is the effect he has in the red zone. The Raiders converted three of four opportunities inside the 20-yard line against the Jaguars. Two of those were passes to Bowers; the other was a 15-yard completion to running back Ashton Jeanty. The Raiders had converted just six of 17 opportunities in the six previous games in which Bowers either didn't play or was limited because of injury.
The Raiders' past two opponents had the ball for more than 42 minutes, which could be an explanation of why Las Vegas' defense struggled after halftime against the Jaguars. Jacksonville scored three points in the first half and 27 the rest of the game. The Jaguars also went from gaining 136 yards and picking up nine first downs in the first half to totaling 187 yards and 12 first downs in the second half and 44 yards and five first downs in overtime.
The Raiders are getting close to the returns of QB Aidan O’Connell (broken wrist) and S Lonnie Johnson Jr. (fractured leg) from injured reserve.
13 — The number of rushing attempts for Jeanty on Sunday. Carroll has talked about wanting to establish the running game, but Las Vegas has not stayed with it. Jeanty has received 17 or fewer carries five times.
The Raiders play Thursday night at Denver, which leads the AFC West with a 7-2 record.
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