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Pete Carroll Explains Decision to Bring Back Patrick Graham

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Levi Dombro | Last updated Feb 25, 2025 2:55 PM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders were forced to undergo changes once again this offseason after an underwhelming 2024 campaign. Pete Carroll is now the team's head coach and he spoke to the media at the NFL Combine on Tuesday about how he constructed his new coaching staff and why chose to keep defensive coordinator Patrick Graham in the building.

"The third element of it was to get some guys that had been in the (Raiders') program," said Carroll on building his coaching staff. "Knowing the players, knowing the system, knowing the division ... Patrick (Graham) and Rob(bie) Leonard were right at the top of the list to get that done."

Graham has now served in the same capacity for three different Raiders head coaches. He was initially brought to Vegas as Josh McDaniels' defensive coordinator but remained on the staff throughout Antonio Pierce's tenure as well.

While Graham has displayed a desire to move up in the coaching world, he appears to be happy enough where his feet are, working for the Las Vegas Raiders. He was a finalist for the Seahawks' and Jaguars' head coaching jobs in 2024 and 2025, respectively, but those teams chose Mike MacDonald and Liam Coen instead.

The Raiders' defense has been their strength in recent seasons, so having some continuity on that side of the ball should be beneficial for the team. Las Vegas also has 26 looming free agents, many of which could be enticed to stay as a result of their coach sticking around.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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