Bill Simmons takes no prisoners in his latest rant, calling out the Raiders' failings this season.
When the Las Vegas Raiders hired Pete Carroll to be their head coach and traded for veteran Geno Smith, it was with the idea of being a competitive team. Five weeks into the 2025 NFL season, they are far from that.
The Silver and Black are coming off a 40-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5 and are riding a four-game losing streak. Moreover, Smith, who was supposed to bring a veteran presence, is turning the ball over and playing like the New York Jets version.
At 1-4, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons teed off on key coaches and ownership for the squad that they assembled over the offseason for this campaign.
So the Raiders are 1-4,” Simmons said. “I wrote down: ‘Turns out mid-70s, Pete Carroll, a washed-up Chip Kelly, a multitasking Tom Brady, and apparently washed-up Geno Smith and the son of Al Davis were not the dream team in retrospect.'”
Raiders QB Geno Smith Draws Brutal Take
Simmons did focus on Smith, considering the signal-caller is the one out on the field making mistakes and playing subpar after Las Vegas not only traded for him but signed him to a contract extension.
“It just seems like it’s over,” Simmons added. “[Smith] has nine interceptions already in five games, and there’s a storied list of people who have done this, and it’s all [among] some of the worst quarterbacks he can remember from the last 30 years. The Raiders, of course, have had a couple of them. I can’t believe how bad he’s been.
“They gave him $75 million for two years. They gave up a third-round pick for him, and he’s worse than the guys they had last year. It was [Aidan] O’Connell, [Gardner] Minshew, and [Desmond] Ridder—nineteen TDs, sixteen interceptions. Geno’s six TDs, nine interceptions right now.”
Should the Raiders Bench Geno Smith?
Smith was signed to provide veteran leadership for a young Raiders offense. Yet, the errors typically associated with players in their first few NFL seasons are coming from the 34-year-old instead.
Still, Carroll clarified why they chose not to bring in Pickett once the game was effectively decided.
“Here’s the reason why I didn’t do that: We need to stay out there and keep practicing, ”
“I thought about it because there was a chance to do that. … That’s not what’s necessary. We need to get better and get right, so these are the games that we’re working on, and these are the games that we learn from and grow from so that we can change the course of the way games are going.”
Nonetheless, former Raiders wide receiver James Jones did call out Carroll for not giving Kenny Pickett a look once the game got out of hand.
“When you’re losing the way we have lost a couple of games this season, [you] put Kenny Pickett in there and see what he can do,
“So now you’re losing a game and he’s struggling, and [you’re] putting him in a pass situation only for him to make another mistake. That’s not going to help his confidence. Put
Raiders Listed as One of the Most ‘Miserable’ Teams in the NFL
The Las Vegas Raiders have found themselves in an unwanted spotlight. According to The Athletic’s latest “Misery Meter,” the Raiders are among the NFL’s most miserable teams through the first five weeks of the 2025
What was supposed to be the beginning of a new era under veteran head coach Pete Carroll has quickly unraveled, leaving fans questioning whether this latest reboot has already gone off the rails.
Raiders Ranked Among NFL’s Most Miserable Teams After Blowout Loss
Carroll was brought in to stabilize a franchise that’s cycled through multiple coaches and front-office regimes over the past decade. Instead, the
That defeat wasn’t just another bad day; it was a sign that Las Vegas may be even worse than expected.
A coach once celebrated for building the Legion of Boom in Seattle and dismantling Peyton Manning’s historic 2013 Denver Broncos offense now finds himself running out of excuses. During Sunday’s loss, Carroll could only watch as Indianapolis outscored his
The Athletic’s “Pick Six” column placed the Raiders among other struggling franchises, including the Jets, Giants, Dolphins, Browns, Ravens, Bengals,
A Veteran Coach, Yet a Familiar Struggle
Carroll’s track record shows he’s no stranger to slow starts. When he took over at USC in 2001, the Trojans began 1-4 before rallying to finish 6-6. His first season with the
Building a winner, as Carroll has often reminded reporters, takes time. But at 74 years old, he may not have that luxury in Las Vegas, especially with limited control compared to his previous stops.
The Raiders‘ issues run deeper than coaching. Their offense has been inconsistent, the defense can’t stop anything, and the overall identity is nonexistent. The numbers speak for themselves: Las Vegas has already lost twice by 17 or more points this season (40%).
Under Josh McDaniels, that happened five times in 25 games (20%). Under Antonio Pierce, it happened five times in 26 games (19.2%). Now with Carroll, it’s happened twice in just five outings, a troubling early trend.
Carroll’s admission following the loss, “I’m processing it poorly, to tell you the truth. Because I did expect to win right out of the chute,” underscores his frustration.
Expectations were higher, not only because of his pedigree but because the
The question now becomes how patient owner Mark Davis will be. Carroll’s history suggests he can turn things around, but doing so in today’s
If misery loves company, the Raiders certainly have plenty of it. But unlike other teams rebuilding from scratch, Las Vegas was supposed to be better than this… and that makes their struggles all the more painful.
