When the Las Vegas Raiders hired Pete Carroll to be their head coach in January, it was hard to imagine him getting fired within 12 months. He is a highly accomplished coach at both the NCAA and NFL levels, and as most remember, he guided the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl championship in the 2013 season and came very close to winning another one the following year.
But the Raiders are tied for the NFL’s worst record at 2-11 and have a seven-game losing streak, and there are rumors that Carroll could be on the hot seat. They already fired Chip Kelly, another accomplished coach whom they hired to be Carroll’s offensive coordinator, after their Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns, and one has to wonder what direction they may head on if they want to give Carroll the axe.
ESPN insider Dan Graziano wrote in a recent article that he feels Vance Joseph, the Denver Broncos‘ defensive coordinator, could end up replacing Carroll.
“Joseph seems to be the name we’re hearing the most, because of Denver’s defensive success and his previous head coach experience (with Denver, oddly enough),” Graziano wrote. “People close to the situation point out that Joseph never had a stable quarterback situation in his first head coaching stint and didn’t have full autonomy over the hiring of his staff, so it would seem unfair to completely hold his 11-21 record against him. I think he gets several interviews and could be a strong candidate in a place such as Las Vegas, should that job come open.”
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After a brief playing career in the NFL during the 1990s, Joseph spent many years as an assistant coach at the college and pro levels before becoming the Broncos’ head coach for the 2017 and 2018 seasons when they were rebuilding following Peyton Manning’s retirement. Denver fired him at the end of the 2018 campaign, and after four years as the Arizona Cardinals’ defensive coordinator, he returned to Denver in that same capacity.
Denver’s defense has dramatically improved under Joseph’s guidance. This season, the team is fourth in points allowed and third in total yards allowed, and even though the Broncos’ offense has been rather average overall, their defense has propelled them to an 11-2 record, which ties them with the New England Patriots for the NFL’s best record.
Las Vegas’ defense hasn’t been quite as bad as its offense this year, but it has been fairly weak. Perhaps Joseph could make something significant happen on that side of the football in 2026, especially with a superstar pass rusher such as Maxx Crosby.
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Given Raiders quarterback Geno Smith’s substandard play this season and the uncertainty about his future with the team, perhaps it would be best for the franchise to embrace winning mostly with defense, as the Broncos have. Joseph could perhaps help build such a culture and resurrect the franchise after some two decades of mostly ineptitude.
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