Pete Carroll Fires Raiders' Special Teams Coach After Struggles vs. Broncos

The Las Vegas Raiders have lost three games in a row following Thursday's ugly 10-7 defeat to the Denver Broncos, and head coach Pete Carroll is making a change.

Carroll announced Friday the Raiders fired special teams coordinator Tom McMahon and gave Derius Swinton II the interim position:

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero first reported the move and noted Carroll and McMahon "had words on the sidelines" during Thursday's loss.

While the offense was largely to blame for the latest loss, the special teams were also a major part of the problem against the Broncos.

Kicker Daniel Carlson missed a field goal on the Raiders' final possession that could have forced overtime, and the Broncos scored what ended up being the winning field goal in the third quarter after blocking a punt deep in Las Vegas territory.

▶️ Full Raiders-Broncos Recap

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Punter AJ Cole is 18th in the league in average yards per punt (47.6), and Carlson is 12-of-16 on field goals for a 75 percent mark that is 31st in the league. 

Las Vegas entered the season with high expectations after bringing in Carroll and building an offense that included Geno Smith, Ashton Jeanty, Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers to complement a defense that has Maxx Crosby leading the way.

But it has been one of the most disappointing teams in the league and fell to 2-7 with Thursday's loss. With upcoming games against the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers, things might not get much better the rest of the way.

As for McMahon, he had been with the Raiders since the 2022 campaign when Josh McDaniels hired him for the position. He remained with the team through the Antonio Pierce tenure before Carroll decided to keep him entering the 2025 season.

Prior to joining the Raiders, he had coaching experience with the Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, Chiefs and St. Louis Rams.