For the Las Vegas Raiders, firing the NFL’s highest-paid offensive coordinator was the easy part. The hard part, as rookie Ashton Jeanty suggests, is realizing it’s too late to undo the damage from Chip Kelly’s failed experiment.

“Run the ball, play action, it’s really gonna be all the stuff we’ve been doing,” the running back answered about what a Greg Olson offense will look like. “Hopefully, we can be more efficient with the ball and score some more.”

Jeanty’s answer to Jesse Merrick of Silver & Black Sports Network acknowledged that it was too late. When Pete Carroll hired Chip Kelly as the Raiders’ offensive coordinator in the 2025 offseason, it appeared to be an inspired decision. Kelly had just orchestrated Ohio State’s 2024 national championship offense.

The Raiders compensated him handsomely, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL at $6 million. Yet after just 11 games, Carroll fired Kelly following the team’s 24-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns on November 24, 2025.​​ The Raiders rank 30th in total offense, averaging 268.9 yards per game, and 31st in scoring, 15.0 points per game.

When Carroll was asked to explain the firing, he acknowledged giving “a lot of leeway” out of respect for credentials, but admitted their offensive visions never aligned.

So, when Carroll named Greg Olson as interim offensive coordinator on Monday, it signaled a return to philosophical purity. Olson had previously served as the Raiders’ offensive coordinator from 2013 to 2014 and from 2018 to 2021. He knows Carroll’s system intimately since they had worked together with the Seattle Seahawks in Carroll’s final season in 2023.​ But despite the credentials, it may be too little too late.

The Raiders are at 2-9, arguably one of the worst NFL teams currently. Six of their recent losses have come by at least two scores, demonstrating the team’s inability to compete in close games. But there’s more to the picture than just this season. 21-year-old Jeanty is vocal about his enthusiasm for the Raiders’ strategic pivot towards the run game. In fact, it could work out very well for the RB.

Ashton Jeanty sees hope in the Raiders’ return under Greg Olson

Jeanty’s positive reaction certainly came as an optimistic message to the Raiders’ fans as well as the HC. It was captured by Sean Zittel of Vegas Sports Today when directly asked if Carroll’s commitment to the run was music to his ears.

“Yeah, no, it’s exciting for sure, obviously,” Jeanty replied. “Just reemphasizing, detailing it more. And it’s not just for me, but for the whole team to help us win.”

Through 11 games, Jeanty rushed for 604 yards on 166 carries and 4 touchdowns, along with 37 receptions for 221 yards. While those numbers appear solid at first glance, his impact was not exactly as good.

In several games under Kelly’s system, Jeanty received limited carries in situations where the run should have dominated. In the 33-16 loss to the Cowboys, Jeanty had just six carries for seven yards.

The Raiders’ first test under Olson comes Sunday against the 7-4 Los Angeles Chargers in an AFC West divisional matchup. The Chargers’ total offense ranks at the 12th position, much higher than the Raiders’. While the Raiders probably can’t compete for the playoffs anymore, they’d certainly not want to lose on the road to their divisional rivals.