Another season, another search. The Raiders' revolving door of coaches continues, fueling player frustration and a desperate plea for stability.
There’s no secret that the head coaching position for the Las Vegas/Oakland Raiders has been one that’s never been able to be filled long-term in recent decades. The Raiders have yet again found themselves searching for their next head coach after just one season under Pete Carroll, who initially signed a three-year contract with the franchise. After winning just three games, the Carroll experiment was cut short, and the Raiders are searching for the next.
Hopefully, for Raiders fans, whoever the team hires will be there for a significant period of time. 2026 will be the fifth season in six years that the Raiders will have a different head coach in Week 1. Obviously, instability at such a level is a recipe for disaster, and that’s been exactly the case for Las Vegas.
Since 2020, the Raiders have recorded a record of 39-62. Going back even further, the franchise has only seen two seasons above .500 since 2003. One common theme has been a factor in such a dreadful recent history: coaching turnover.
No team in the NFL has seen more head coaching turnover than the Raiders since 2002. With 12 unique head coaches, the Raiders have had 3 more coaches than the second-most unstable team, the Cleveland Browns.
It’s an eye-opening statistic, but it’s not exactly a surprising one. From the mid 2000s to the mid 2010s, there was constant change, with every coach only lasting with the Raiders for at most two seasons. Having no stability is asking for trouble, and the Raiders have seen exactly how that instability manifests in the win column.
Raiders receiver Tre Tucker is one of many tired of the coaching turnover in Las Vegas.
“You look at some of the teams that go into the offseason, and they've been in the offense for two to three years. When they come back, [they're] not learning a new offense unless they are new to the team. For us, every offseason is learning a new offense. It's like you are starting all over,” Tucker told ESPN’s Ryan McFadden.
“I've played three different roles in three systems. I'm going to have to play another role in another system.”
Tucker will be hoping it’s the last system he’ll have to learn as the Raiders start their search for a new head coach yet again. They’ve been busy, already interviewing Klint Kubiak, Kevin Stefanski, Matt Nagy, and Davis Webb. With several big names available in the head coaching market, the Raiders need to make the right choice. Bringing in a new head coach and rookie quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick would be the ideal start to a rebuild that’s been long in the making for the franchise.