Pete Carroll Fired By Raiders And Now Michigan Men, Including Tom Brady, Take Stage In Las Vegas

Pete Carroll knew. He was aware late Sunday evening that his time with the Las Vegas Raiders was about to end and the next thought in his mind was whether that meant the end of his NFL coaching career.

Well, Carroll is indeed officially done with the Raiders. They announced his firing Monday morning.

Carroll Open To Another Job

But Carroll, 74, isn't ready to just fade away, per a source. 

He remains open, the source said, to any other coaching opportunity that may come along, particularly in this current coaching cycle. But he also realizes his chances of rebounding with an NFL job immediately after his 3-14 season in Las Vegas are not great.

And what does this mean for the Raiders?

They're empowering general manager John Spytek to lead the search for the next head coach. And they're charging Tom Brady, a club minority owner with a reputation for winning Super Bowls as a player, to collaborate with Spytek.

Together the two are now responsible for decisions "with a focus on leadership, culture, and alignment with the organization's long-term vision and goals," a statement from the team reads.

HENDERSON, NEVADA - JANUARY 27: John Spytek (L) and Pete Carroll talk at the end of a news conference introducing Spytek as the general manager and Carroll as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on January 27, 2025 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The Michigan Man Connection

And that immediately may mean the Raiders are going to look around for a University of Michigan man to interview for the coaching vacancy.

It is widely believed in league circles that the Raiders will request to interview current Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter for the job. Minter, like Brady and Spytek, has ties to the University of Michigan.

Minter joined the Michigan coaching staff in 2022 as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach. 

When Jim Harbaugh was placed on a three-game suspension to open the 2023 season, Minter served as the interim head coach for Michigan's first game of the season against East Carolina. He obviously remained on Harbaugh's staff as the defensive coordinator the rest of the season as the Wolverines won the national championship. 

INGLEWOOD, CA - AUGUST 10: Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter during pregame warmups before an NFL preseason football game between the New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Tony Ding/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Jesse Minter Would Have Advantage

Did we mention that Brady played at Michigan? And Spytek played at Michigan? And the two were teammates at Michigan?

This does not mean Minter is absolutely the next Raiders coach. The club is expected to do the usual "cast a wide net" exercise. Minter hasn't even been formally contacted yet.

But to suggest Minter wouldn't come to the table with a bit of a head start is to deny reality.