No matter how rough the season’s been, there’s value in ending it with a win. It matters for the locker room and for whatever comes next. For a Las Vegas Raiders group sitting at 2–14 after 17 weeks, that idea carries even more weight. A similar message, along with a wish, has been echoed by head coach Pete Carroll as they head into the final game.

“There’s nothing more important in the world than winning a game in this division…if we could get that done that would make it just a little sweeter. I’d love to have a locker room where we can have a blast,” the head coach said.

Carroll hasn’t wavered from that stance. Winning, in his mind, still comes before draft positioning. Fans might roll their eyes at that logic, especially in a season like this, but teams don’t step onto the field hoping to lose. The Raiders aren’t wired that way, either.

Last week showed how thin the margin really is. With the No. 1 overall pick hanging in the balance in Week 17 against the New York Giants, the Raiders suffered a 34–10 loss. That loss pushed them ahead of New York in the race for the top spot in the 2026 NFL Draft. For the moment, it put them where a lot of fans want them to be. But nothing is locked in yet.

Right now, the Raiders are holding the first pick in their hands. A loss this weekend in a meaningless game against the Kansas City Chiefs would cement it. But a win over the Chiefs, who are expected to start third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun, could throw a wrench into everything.

There’s still movement possible elsewhere, too. The Raiders face Kansas City. The Giants get the Dallas Cowboys. If Las Vegas wins, New York loses, and there are 1.5 combined wins among the Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, and Seattle Seahawks, the Giants would slide back into position for the top pick.

None of it changes how Carroll is approaching this week. For him and his players, the goal is still to win the game in front of them. Even in a season filled with losses, that mindset hasn’t changed. And beyond draft slots and scenarios, there’s another reality hovering over this finale.

Pete Carroll’s future is up in the air

It’s hard to dress this season up as anything other than what it’s been. For the Las Vegas Raiders, the only real silver lining is the possibility of landing the No. 1 pick. That’s about it. There isn’t much else to point to. Maybe the fact that Maxx Crosby wasn’t traded away qualifies as a small mercy.

The Raiders have dropped 14 of their last 16 games and are crawling toward the finish line of a season most in the building would like to forget. It also feels like this might be the end of the road for Pete Carroll in Las Vegas. That possibility is being talked about more openly now.

“My sense is that a lot of people are watching Las Vegas for the potential that Pete Carroll is one-and-done with the Raiders. It has gone quite poorly, and they seem to be positioning themselves for the No. 1 draft pick, so the theory is they might want someone else around to develop that selection if it’s a quarterback,” ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote.

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A loss this week against the Kansas City Chiefs would push the Raiders into uncomfortable territory. It would mark their first season with fewer than three wins since 2006. Carroll has already made changes, dismissing both his offensive and special teams coordinators, but none of it has translated into wins.

And unless sweeping changes come, there’s little reason to believe next season would look much different under the same structure.

That’s why Carroll’s approach makes sense, even if it clashes with how fans are viewing the situation. With his own future uncertain, he’s not coaching for draft slots. He’s coaching to win. From his perspective, a first-round pick doesn’t help him if he’s not around to see it used.