How Pete Carroll got this Raiders team believing again

HENDERSON, Nev. — Pete Carroll’s energy was in overdrive during Las Vegas Raiders minicamp.

Decked out in a white long-sleeve shirt, gray sweats and a Raiders hat, the first-year Las Vegas coach turned the team’s stretching period into a wrestling match when he snuck up on 6-foot-6, 328-pound offensive lineman Thayer Munford Jr.

“I pinned him,” Carroll said.

Pete Carroll tried pinning down @Raiders OT Thayer Munford 😭

(via @nickwalt) pic.twitter.com/Qh9FP28AqB

— NFL (@NFL) June 5, 2025

He later tried claiming another victim: 284-pound defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway. However, the rookie refused to budge against Carroll’s version of “the People’s Elbow.”

The 73-year-old didn’t stop there. He threw the football around during special teams drills and would occasionally race the defensive backs to one corner of the field before the start of the individual period.

Each day served as a reminder that he did not need to match his players’ energy and effort — they had to match his. A year away from football did nothing to slow him down. Neither did the blazing heat the team practiced under, a 106-degree average during minicamp.

“It’s got to be some type of drug out there or something,” wide receiver Jakobi Meyers said. “He’s got a lot of energy, man.”

Carroll was hired in February to do more than just help Las Vegas become a winning club. Another reason behind his return to coaching after 14 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks was to instill a culture that Las Vegas could carry on for years to come.

Nearly six months into his tenure, Carroll’s impact in the building is palpable. On days they need to report in, players say they’re excited to get up at 5 a.m. and get to the facility. They’re even using Carroll’s favorite term — “compete” — any chance they get.

“You can’t have a great team without great teammates,” Carroll said. “There’s a whole building process to getting that done, and part of that is taking part in whatever we ask them to do, as wild as it may be or nuts as they may think it is.”

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Of course, spirited coaching doesn’t guarantee instant wins. But his approach has breathed new life into an organization in need of a huge turnaround.

“We are trying to establish a way to do things around here,” general manager John Spytek said.

“We are trying to establish what it means to be a Raider.”

DARIEN PORTER HAD a “pinch-me moment” at rookie minicamp in early May.

Growing up, he was a fan of Carroll’s USC teams that featured Heisman Trophy winners Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart. And while the third-round cornerback participated in individual drills with the rest of the defensive backs, Carroll — whom Porter knew from his TV screen growing up — was right in the middle with his football gloves on, backpedaling and providing press coverage tips to the defensive backs.

“He’s out there working on his press. It’s funny, but I really appreciate it,” said Porter, who spent six seasons at Iowa State.

“He’s my head coach in the NFL, and I grew up watching USC, so it’s just crazy.”

A key component to the players buying into Carroll’s philosophies early has been the respect they had for the coach before he donned the Silver and Black.

From leading USC to four Rose Bowl victories and two national titles to winning a Super Bowl with Seattle and quarterback Russell Wilson, Carroll’s track record of success has many players starstruck by his presence.

The words “legend” or “legendary” have been frequently used to describe their head coach.

“To be able to play for him, that’s just another dream come true,” Raiders rookie wide receiver Jack Bech said.

When Carroll speaks, they take in every word, especially the defensive backs who admire Carroll’s work with the Legion of Boom.

Starting safety Isaiah Pola-Mao said it’s been a different experience with Carroll because he has never had a head coach as hands-on with the defensive backs.

“But I love it,” Pola-Mao said. “Pete’s legendary. Learning from him, he knows what it’s supposed to look like. I’m just learning, listening and trying to take it all in.”

THE RAIDERS’ PRACTICE antics reached new heights on the final day of minicamp.

After the team stretched, a member of the equipment staff was inside an inflatable ball, zorbing back and forth while players zigzagged and high-stepped between barriers.

It’s getting ROWDY in Vegas 🤣#Raiders defensive assistant Rip Rowan ripped off his shirt and brought the energy to start practice at Day 2 of minicamp. @KTNV pic.twitter.com/sxhwds280O

— Nick Walters (@nickwalt) June 11, 2025

Carroll has employed creative methods to ignite the players’ competitive spirit. Starting center Jackson Powers-Johnson said the team has had field goal kicking competitions, has played cornhole and has basketball courts around the facility, allowing Carroll to show off his jump shot in front of players.

The plastic bubble, however, wasn’t planned, Carroll said.

Rollin’ with the homies 😎 pic.twitter.com/E71vGS8el7

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) June 12, 2025

“We’re having the most fun time in football that we’ve ever had, and that starts with him,” Powers-Johnson said. “… He doesn’t have a bad day. And it’s infectious energy that’s been put on us.”

For All-Pro punter AJ Cole, the change of pace might’ve been needed. Cole said the franchise has seen some dark moments over the past few years.

Since Cole joined the team in 2019 as an undrafted free agent, the Raiders have compiled a regular-season record of 43-57, made one playoff appearance and cycled through four head coaches (Jon Gruden, Josh McDaniels, Antonio Pierce and Carroll).

“It’s been rough. We’ve lost a lot of games, more than we should have,” Cole said.

But Carroll has made Cole optimistic about the future. That was one of the reasons he signed a four-year, $15.8 million contract extension to remain in Las Vegas.

“To be completely honest with you, I haven’t been this excited to come to work in a really long time,” Cole said.

Star defensive end Maxx Crosby, who has been a Raider since he was drafted in 2019, described the 2024 season as “one of the hardest years” in his life. He never felt like himself after sustaining an ankle injury in the Raiders’ win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2. Eventually, Crosby underwent season-ending ankle surgery, forcing him to miss the final four games.

The Raiders finished 4-13 — marking the second time in three years with double-digit losses — and Crosby, once again, watched another coach (Pierce) get handed a pink slip.

From the moment he attended Carroll’s introductory news conference in February, Crosby has not allowed himself to dwell on the franchise’s past failures. During the offseason, he said, he woke up every morning at the crack of dawn, enthusiastic to attack the day. Crosby said the energy within the building has been a source of fuel. He even admired how Carroll pushed him and the rest of the team to be the best version of themselves.

“He’s true to that. It’s not fake energy,” Crosby said. “And it’s not just him, it’s the assistant coaches, the whole building. It just feels different.

” … Pete creates that culture where everyone knows it’s hard. You’re going to work your ass off, but you’ve got a whole group and an organization of people that all got to be on the same wavelength and go in the same direction. That’s one of the hardest things you could do.”

JOHN GLENN IS all too familiar with Carroll’s ways of developing team culture. Before Glenn joined the Raiders’ staff as a linebackers coach this offseason, he spent 12 seasons in multiple roles on Carroll’s Seahawks staff.

Outside of Carroll’s zealous personality, Glenn — who spent last season as the assistant special teams coach for the Washington Commanders — said the San Francisco native finds a way to relate to anyone he comes across.

“He’s an incredible human … just the way he’s able to connect with the coordinators to the position coach to the [quality control coach],” Glenn said. “It’s never been, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s the head coach. Don’t talk to him.’ He’s always engaging [and] has time for you.”

Glenn added that Carroll’s philosophy about competition transcends the football field. Carroll is requiring his staff to compete not just in the sport but in all aspects of their lives.

Raiders starting left tackle Kolton Miller has watched Carroll push the coaches just as hard as the players. Miller believes that’s what sets Carroll apart from the rest.

“That’s what he excels in,” Miller said.

“Am I competing to be a good husband? Am I competing to be a good father? Am I competing to be a good citizen in the community? It all transcends,” Glenn added. “When you truly buy into it, that’s the secret sauce.”

Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said being around Carroll has been beneficial for his growth as a coach. Graham, entering his fourth season with the Raiders, has been happy with the opportunity to discuss different ideas with Carroll.

Graham has even been a sponge whenever he watches Carroll instruct the defensive backs.

“I mean, why wouldn’t you listen?” Graham said. “… We’re watching a master teacher working. This is beneficial for us.”

When the Raiders wrapped up their offseason program and entered a monthlong break ahead of training camp, it seemed evident that Carroll had the team fully invested in the culture he’s trying to foster.

Sure, on paper, the Raiders are perhaps miles away from their AFC West counterparts. There are a handful of questions surrounding the talent on the roster, which won’t be answered until the season starts.

But Carroll has this group believing the issues that have plagued this franchise are in the rearview mirror.

“[Carroll] believes if you have a crystal-clear vision of what you want to get accomplished, and you can get a group of people to do the same thing, then good things are going to happen,” offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said. “He’s got this team believing.”