Maxx Crosby addresses Pete Carroll's firing

The Raiders, as expected, fired coach Pete Carroll on Monday. Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby addressed the move during the latest episode of the Let's Go! podcast.

I haven't had time to really process it, to be honest," Crosby told host Jim Gray. "I just found out. I'm here in the building and I literally see it pop up on the TV. So it was kind of gloomy, I would say. It's something that I've been a part of before, but just to speak on Pete, this season didn't go the way we expected it at all. From the players to the coaches, I don't think anybody expected we would be in this position and getting the number one pick, to be honest.

"But I will say, you know, the one thing I did admire about Pete is he was, I mean, consistent as they come. He has won for such a long time. He is a Super Bowl champion. He won a national championship at USC. He has been an incredible coach, and he has had an incredible journey. So unfortunately this thing didn't work out the way we expected it but he has done an incredible job and had an incredible career, and he was always awesome to me. Still gonna have that relationship regardless. Had a lot of coaches in my time to say the least, but all of those coaches, you take something from them, you learn something from them. And just we're back to the process again and trying to figure out whatever that's gonna be. I wish him the best. Like I said, he was always incredible to me and treated me amazing. Big shout out to Coach Pete and we'll see what happens next."

Crosby is right about the season not going the way they expected. If anything, Carroll grossly misevaluated the roster, treating it like a near-finished product instead of a work in progress.

They weren't nearly as close as they thought they were. The best evidence of the misjudgment came from the decision to use a top-10 draft pick on running back Ashton Jeanty.

A player like Jeanty is the icing on the cake. Not the cake. There was no cake. Which made it impossible for Jeanty to thrive.

Teams should be built from the outside in, not the inside out. They need the infrastructure that comes from an offensive and defensive line before adding the luxury items like a potential top-shelf running back.

Why did anyone think they'd be better in 2025 than they were in 2024? The AFC West remains one of the best divisions in football. And the Raiders have had only two playoff appearances in the 23 years since appearing in Super Bowl XXXVII.

Heading into 2026, the team is in worse shape than it was a year ago. And Carroll, who has coached the Jets, Patriots, Seahawks, and Raiders, is likely at the end of the coaching road.