The Las Vegas Raiders are heading toward another playoff-less season and are currently 2-9 in Year 1 with Pete Carroll as head coach. While Carroll and Co. deserve the blame for how the season has gone, there’s plenty of blame to go around.
One of the consistent people who has been around for all the dysfunction is Raiders owner Mark Davis. The fan base hasn’t been afraid to express how they feel about Davis in the past. Nonetheless, despite him being around for all the failures, one insider doesn’t believe he’s to blame.
“I don’t think the problem is Mark Davis,” Sports Illustrated’s Hondo Carpenter said on the November 28 edition of the “Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast.” “I don’t think it’s Mark Davis because there are a lot of places that would love to have an owner [who] will spend any amount of money to win.
“The best stadium in the NFL, the best team headquarters. He’s paying tens of millions of dollars to guys not to coach here. He listens to people. He lets his coaches coach, and I mean, he has made some bad decisions, but their decisions just—I just want to win.
“When you’ve got an owner like that, how much do you think the Cincinnati Bengals fans would like an owner like that? I mean, imagine if Joe Burrow was here. My point is, I don’t think Mark Davis is the problem. I think some of the problems have been who he listens to, but I don’t think Mark, fundamentally, himself, is the problem.”
Tom Brady Draws Wrath Over Raiders’ Issues
While the criticism will surely be coming Davis’ way, the national NFL media isn’t focusing on him just yet. All their darts are being aimed at minority owner Tom Brady for his part in the disastrous construction of this team for the 2025 season.
“I’m just going to say this: The heat, the pressure, and the focus are going to be more and more on Tom Brady because Mark Davis is doing whatever he tells him,“ NBC NFL insider Mike Florio said on the November 24 edition of “Pro Football Talk Live.”
“Brady is partially responsible for the current state of the team. He was involved in the hiring of Pete Carroll; he was involved in the hiring of Chip Kelly. He was involved in the decision to make Geno Smith the quarterback.”
Tom Brady Can’t Dodge Responsibility for Raiders’ Struggles
Brady holds a minority stake in the Raiders and takes on additional responsibilities, including his NFL color commentary role with FOX Sports. Still, Florio doesn’t view that as a valid reason for how he handled decisions in Las Vegas last offseason, especially considering the team’s struggles this season.
“It’s just not working,“ Florio added. “That’s the thing, Tom. You want to do this, but you can’t clone yourself—one to be the Raiders owner, the other to work for FOX. If this doesn’t work, the blame falls on you.
“Nobody else, Tom, you’re taking the blame. It’s not working, and it’s splashing onto you. So don’t act like you’ve got a bunch of other things to do or that you’ve delegated. No, it’s on you if this team continues to stink.”
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