Raiders Shutting Down Maxx Crosby Is Sign Pete Carroll's Power Within Organization Has Diminished

In the days leading up to the decision to shut down defensive end Maxx Crosby for the season, Raiders coach Pete Carroll resisted the idea that his team’s best player should take the rest of the year off with several weeks still to play.

But the decision wasn’t Carroll’s to make.

It came "from on high," one NFL source told OutKick, while declining to specify whether that meant controlling owner Mark Davis, minority owner Tom Brady, or both.

Maxx Crosby. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

Carroll Fought For Letting Crosby Play

The situation was essentially Carroll and Crosby advocating for continued knee treatment that would allow Crosby to finish the season, versus decision-makers focused on the future and draft implications, the source said.

Carroll and Crosby obviously lost the argument and that is a clear sign the head coach has lost sway over the macro football decisions within the organization and is likely headed toward being replaced soon after the season is over on Sunday. 

Carroll this week hinted at this situation when he was asked about his relationship with Crosby following the player's departure from the building for a few days to decompress after the decision he did not like. 

"Maxx has been amazing, and I was right there with him fighting the decisions that came about," Carroll said. "But when you're in the middle of it like he is, you aren't always going to be the clearest about — he's willing to put his body on the line no matter what, and he was willing to do that no matter what, and I admire the crap out of his approach and his vision, and so the fact that he had to process it and get through it is totally understandable to me."

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

Carroll Embrace Of Rebuild Questioned

Here's another thing that should be understandable: The Raiders are leaning toward moving on from Carroll after only one season.

Yes, the team is 2-14 and hasn't won a game since Oct. 12. But this season has clarified for management that the franchise requires a deep rebuild, one that could begin with the No. 1 overall pick if the Raiders lose to Kansas City on Sunday.

That puts Carroll directly in the crosshairs, because, at 74, he is not a total "rebuild" type of guy. 

He stated from the start of his Las Vegas tenure that he didn't take the job to go through a tedious and expansive rebuild.

Management agreed when Carroll pitched a quick turnaround last January. That plan has failed.

And while Carroll has adjusted his messaging, he continues to resist the idea of years-long rebuilding.

Pete Carroll. Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images.

Carroll Fighting For His Job

"No. No. No," Carroll said this week when asked about rebuilding. "We would go for it immediately, but now looking back, I thought we would make more progress earlier, and we would be farther along than we are in terms of getting the wins. And so, you're always rebuilding. You're constantly building. 

"I fight the thought of it like we would make decisions that would go in advance of winning, when you talk that way. So, I just can't handle that. So, that's why you heard me there. But this process is ongoing, building, rebuilding. 

"It's a building process for us, and we got to make sure that we make a bunch of great decisions, and obviously we're going to be in terrific position, draft wise. Financially, we're in a good situation to move forward. So, there are a lot of positives."

It should be noted that Carroll has been fighting to keep his job. He has been sending unsubtle messages, even through the media, about how he's kept the team together and engaged when other coaches might not be able to do the same.

"I could see teams really being in trouble right now. I could see guys just going south on you, and we all know stories of that," Carroll said. "That's happened for years. These guys didn't do that. These guys are still going." 

The Raiders do have a lot of positives they can rebuild a new foundation on. But even in a league that boasts worst-to-first scenarios, the Raiders are so far from good they might actually have to consider perhaps even trading Crosby to add draft resources for younger players.

All of that suggests a new day for the club. And that new day isn't likely to include Carroll.