Getty
Mike LaFleur with Sean McVay.
The Las Vegas Raiders likely regret their decision to hire a 74-year-old Pete Carroll to be the head coach of a roster that isn’t close to being ready to compete. Carroll is a proven winner as a head coach, but he’s not the right coach to lead a rebuild at this stage of his career.
General manager John Spytek is likely to get at least another year, but Carroll’s future is in serious doubt. There’s been plenty of speculation regarding what the Raiders might do if they fire Carroll.
Moe Moton of Bleacher Report sees Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur as the “ideal” person for the Raiders to hire at head coach.
“If Spytek and Carroll aren’t aligned on the roster’s rebuilding process, the Raiders will likely replace the latter. (NFL insider Jordan) Schultz noted that Spytek signed a five-year contract, and Carroll inked a three-term deal,” Moton wrote.
“Among the potential replacements for Carroll, Mike LaFleur makes the most sense. Las Vegas may find it challenging to entice a top candidate without the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft. It needs a quarterback plan. Geno Smith is playing his worst football in the first term of the three-year deal. Kenny Pickett will be a free agent in 2026.”
Raiders Need Innovative Head Coach
Under Mark Davis’ ownership, the Raiders have hired a young defensive coach (Dennis Allen), a defensive retread (Jack Del Rio), an offensive retread (Jon Gruden), another offensive retread (Josh McDaniels), a young defensive coach (Antonio Pierce) and another defensive retread (Carroll).
The one type of coach Davis hasn’t hired is a young up-and-coming offensive mind. Moton thinks it’s time for the Raiders to embrace a young coach with big ideas on the offensive side of the ball.
“LaFleur’s older brother, Matt, also served as McVay’s offensive coordinator before becoming the Green Bay Packers head coach in 2019. Kevin O’Connell held the same position before he accepted the Minnesota Vikings‘ head coaching position in 2022. Both are winning more than 62 percent of their games as leaders of NFC North squads,” Moton wrote. “LaFleur has been an offensive coordinator for five years, two seasons with the New York Jets and three with the Rams.
“After a swing-and-miss with Carroll, the Raiders need new blood, innovative ideas and an updated outlook. LaFleur could be a breath of fresh air for a franchise in need of a spark.”
Is LaFleur Ready to Be a Head Coach?
The Rams have the best offense in the NFL this season, but head coach Sean McVay calls the plays. That doesn’t mean that LaFleur doesn’t have a lot of influence over the offense.
There are offensive coaches under McVay who went on to have a lot of success as head coaches, like Matt LaFleur, Kevin O’Connell, Zac Taylor and Liam Coen. LaFleur’s stint as the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets, which ended with him getting fired, is a bit concerning, but they never gave him a good quarterback to work with.
The Raiders don’t have an appealing job opening right now, so taking a chance on a young coach like LaFleur might be the best move they could make.
Austin Boyd has covered the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com since 2019. A Los Angeles native now based in Las Vegas, his featured work at Heavy includes interviews with NFL stars Darren Waller and Joe Montana, and a behind-the-scenes look at “The Shop.” More about Austin Boyd
More Heavy on Raiders
Loading more stories