The Las Vegas Raiders are on the cusp of being back in the head-coaching market in 2026.
After firing Antonio Pierce in the offseason, the Raiders hired Pete Carroll to take his place, but that hire has backfired spectacularly, as the Raiders actually look to be worse off than they were under Pierce.
If the Raiders do fire Carroll, they'll be hiring their sixth full-time head coach since 2015, and that kind of instability is a big reason why Las Vegas is going to have a difficult time attracting top head-coach candidates.
And that's something ESPN's Bill Barnwell agrees with. As a result, he ranks the Raiders' potential vacancy as the worst of the eight teams Barnwell sees as the candidates to part ways with their head coaches this coming offseason.
I'll say the same thing I've been saying for more than half a decade now: The only way the Raiders are going to turn things around is by hiring the right coach and the right talent evaluator and letting them spend years fixing the roster. This organization needs to stack drafts before it can credibly compete in the long term with the Broncos, Chargers and Chiefs, let alone the rest of the AFC. Davis has shown little aptitude for hiring those people and little patience in letting them work, which makes this a difficult opportunity to recommend.
All head-coach candidates are looking for stability. No matter what the Raiders tell their candidates in interviews, they cannot guarantee that after what we've seen over the last 10 years or so.
Then there's the problem with the roster, which needs a ton of work and a full-on rebuild, something owner Mark Davis hasn't shown a willingness to take part in, which is a major issue when it comes to the Raiders doing this the right way.
On offense, the Raiders need to fix their offensive line, and the unit is lacking a long-term solution at quarterback and playmakers outside of Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty, both of whom have been held back by a terrible offense.
On defense, the Raiders have Maxx Crosby and not much else. Crosby is also the most attractive trade chip the Raiders have and trading him would greatly assist a rebuild because of the draft capital he would garner, but Las Vegas hasn't been willing to move him.
The biggest positives the Raiders have going for them are they are flush with cap space and draft capital in 2026 and are sitting in the No. 2 spot in the draft order and still have a chance for the No. 1 overall pick, per Tankathon.
Will all of that be enough to overcome the concerns about ownership and instability in the franchise in general?
Only time will tell, but there are plenty of reasons to believe the Raiders won't be at the top of the wish list for head-coach candidates in 2026.
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