Raiders Q&A: RJ beat writers look at what went wrong, what’s ahead

It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

Pete Carroll took over as Raiders coach this season with the expectation that he was supposed to bring credibility to an organization that has lacked it for far too long.

He talked about his history of winning 10 games every season no matter the circumstances and bolstered expectations before the season.

Then the Raiders took the field and proved to be one of the worst teams in franchise history.

That sets up an offseason full of intrigue, starting with whether Carroll will be retained.

Review-Journal beat writers Vinny Bonsignore and Adam Hill share their thoughts on what happened and what’s to come as the season comes to a close Sunday against the Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium:

Question: What went wrong this season?

Bonsignore: From a macro level, you can flip that and say everything went right, because the Raiders needed to hit rock bottom to pull themselves from the never-ending cycle they have been on thinking they were one or two moves away from being contenders.

In many ways, the real rebuild that’s been needed for years begins now.

From the micro, the Raiders could ill-afford to lose Brock Bowers and Kolton Miller for significant stretches of time, and they did. They also lost Jackson Powers-Johnson, who was someone they could not lose.

This roster was not good enough to withstand those types of losses.

And it clearly wasn’t good enough to have Geno Smith take the massive step back that he did, coming off three solid seasons in Seattle.

The Raiders could have won six to eight games with Smith playing like he did in Seattle, and Miller, Powers-Johnson and Bowers remaining healthy all season.

Hill: The plan was flawed from the beginning, and yet somehow it went off the rails even worse than could have been feared.

Carroll is a tremendous coach who will leave a great legacy when his time in the sport comes to an end. But he was never the right fit for this situation.

The Raiders needed to rebuild, and he wanted to try to field a competitive roster right away, largely because it wouldn’t make sense for a 74-year-old coach to pursue a long-term project.

Smith, Carroll’s hand-picked quarterback, was a big swing and miss at the most important position.

Then trying to plug holes in the roster with veteran players instead of younger players with upside not only proved fruitless, but potentially stifled a year of development as the losses continued to mount.

Injuries and odd special teams woes contributed to the losses, but the flawed plan was always the biggest issue.

Question: Who will be the coach next season?

Bonsignore: Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith, Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde or Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.

Don’t rule out a high-profile college coach, either.

Hill: It’s a good list. Shula jumps out as someone who is probably ready to take that next step in his career.

Smith and Brady are good offensive minds, which should appeal to the Raiders.

Evero, Minter and Weaver all stand out, as well. And there are sure to be some wild cards.

There are going to be plenty of candidates for sure, but the area where we seem to agree here is that it won’t be Carroll.

His timeline and that of the organization just don’t add up, and it wouldn’t make sense to try to keep pushing the proverbial square peg into a round hole for another year after it clearly hasn’t fit.

Question: What should be the top offseason priority?

Bonsignore: Determining their quarterback and coach of the future.

Hill: No question. These two are related and will need to be cornerstones for whatever foundation the Raiders are trying to build.

But only the coach is imperative right away, so my answer would be that the main priority is to identify a coach of the future who is more in lockstep with general manager John Spytek about how to build.

If Spytek and the new coach are in agreement about one of the two quarterback prospects in the draft, then pick that guy and build around him. If not, the Raiders could use the top pick and potentially other assets in the organization, like tradable players and available cap space, to acquire as much capital as possible.

Question: Besides quarterback, what areas need to be addressed?

Bonsignore: That is a long list.

The offensive line needs two new starters, preferably an interior offensive lineman and a right tackle. And ideally through free agency.

The Raiders need to secure a pass rusher to play opposite Maxx Crosby and a new group of starting linebackers. They need a big-time wide receiver to complement tight end Brock Bowers.

Hill: There isn’t a single position group that is completely set, except for tight end with Bowers and Michael Mayer under contract through at least next season.

Wide receiver jumps out as a massive need, along with the offensive line. The Raiders need pretty much everything on defense, including a pass rusher to bookend Crosby.

This is a 2-14 team for a reason. Any help would be welcome.