Pete Carroll Predicts Raiders Are 'Going To Win A Ton' Despite Playing In NFL's Best Division
Success In AFC West Is Tough To Come By
Pete Carroll is not only back in the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders, but he's also expecting big things for his rebuilding team in 2025. No, really.
When Carroll met with his players who reported Tuesday, his message was clear: He told them what the Raiders believe in, who they are and what they're about.
HENDERSON, NEVADA - JUNE 12: Head coach Pete Carroll of the Las Vegas Raiders attends a news conference after mandatory minicamp at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on June 12, 2025 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Carroll: Expectations Are Really High
And that means winning and success.
"We’re going to win a ton," Carroll told reporters Tuesday. "We’re going to win a bunch of games.I can’t even imagine anything [else]. I’ve been winning 10 games a year for 20 years or something, you know? What are my expectations? We’re going to win a bunch. And I don’t care who hears that — it doesn’t matter to me. It ain’t about what anybody hears, it’s about what we do.
"That’s why expectations are really high. The standards need to be so that the expectations can be met. We’ll see what happens. I wish I could guarantee it to you, but I can’t even think of what else it could be but being really successful."
It's awesome that Carroll is so upbeat and positive.
HENDERSON, NEVADA - JUNE 12: Geno Smith #7 of the Las Vegas Raiders throws during mandatory minicamp at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on June 12, 2025 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Raiders Addressed QB With Geno Smith
But there is some truths to deal with as well and it would be unrealistic to ignore them amid all the glowing words that Carroll is saying.
Firstly, the Raiders haven't done a ton of winning lately. Last year, for example, they finished 4-13, and it was that disaster that led to the Carroll hiring.
And why was there so much losing? Well, a lack of talent had something to do with it, starting with the quarterback position.
Carroll traded for Geno Smith to address the quarterback spot, but that doesn't exactly solve the other issue the Raiders face:
(Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
Raiders Play In the Conference's Best Division
The AFC West, you see, is the division in which the Raiders play. And it is the best division in the AFC and arguably the best in football – or at least it was last year.
Consider the Kansas City Chiefs went to the Super Bowl after losing only two regular-season games.
And the Los Angeles Chargers went to the playoffs.
And the Denver Broncos went to the playoffs.
The NFC West was the only division in the AFC with three playoff teams. The NFC North also had three playoff teams.
The point is a division with a team that has played in three consecutive Super Bowls and has Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, and the other two teams both won double-digit games last year, doesn't typically allow the team that finished last to win a ton.
HENDERSON, NEVADA - MAY 29: Geno Smith #7 of the Las Vegas Raiders stretches as he talks with head coach Pete Carroll during an OTA offseason workout during an OTA offseason workout at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Doubt Pete Carroll At Your Own Risk
But those facts don't seem to deter Carroll's seemingly blind optimism about his team's ceiling.
"There is no limit," Carroll said. "We’re going for it. We’re going to see how far we can take our club. We’re going to do it one step at a time. We’re just going to see how good we can be.
"The expectations and the standards we are setting are going to be as high as we can make them. That’s how we’ve always done that. So, we’re going to take it as far as we can as quickly as we can, and see what that means."
The NFL is a better league when the Raiders are relevant. So, Carroll is promising that is great to see.
"I'm jacked about the whole thing, to tell you the truth," Carroll said.
Carroll has coached 18 seasons in the NFL and taken his teams to the playoffs in 12 of those seasons. Go ahead, you be the one to tell him he cannot get it done in Las Vegas.