Pete Carroll isn’t the type to just walk away and let bygones be bygones. Nope, that man has been cooking something up ever since he left Seattle, and if the latest rumors are true, Seahawks fans might wanna start paying extra close attention. Because instead of just focusing on his new gig with the Raiders, Carroll might be lowkey sabotaging the very team he built. And honestly? It’s kind of diabolical.

Picture this: Carroll, chilling in first class, posted up for over an hour talking to Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald and GM John Schneider. Not just a quick, ‘Hey, how’s the family?‘ type of chat—nah, this was a full-on, deep-dive conversation. Over an hour. What could possibly be so urgent? Turns out, the buzz is that Carroll and the Raiders might be eyeing Geno Smith for a trade. Which, if true, means Pete isn’t just trying to build his new team—he might be actively weakening his old one in the process.

And the timing? Suspicious as hell. The Raiders just kicked their $25 million quarterback, Gardner Minshew, to the curb. To be fair, no one in Vegas is shedding tears over that decision. The Athletic had already reported that Minshew was likely on the chopping block, and if you watched him play last season, you’d know why. It wasn’t just that he was bad—he played like a dude who didn’t even want to be QB1. His so-called competition with Aidan O’Connell? Less of a battle and more of a race to see who could lose their job first. Even former head coach Antonio Pierce pretty much admitted the whole situation was a mess, saying, “I wish it had ended well for both gentlemen, and it just didn’t.” That one’s gotta burn!

Minshew’s numbers were kinda ugly. In 10 games, he went 2-7 as a starter, threw 10 picks against just 9 touchdowns, and somehow convinced the Raiders to pay him $15 million guaranteed for that performance. His 2,013 passing yards and 66.3% completion rate weren’t exactly lighting up the AFC West, and by Week 12, his season (and his time in Vegas) was cut short when Cody Barton drilled him so hard he broke his collarbone. Just like that, his Raiders career was over—mercifully, some would say.

Of course, dumping Minshew comes with a price. The Raiders are taking a $7.66 million cap hit, though they’ll save $6.34 million by letting him go. There’s still some dead money hanging around in 2026 and 2027, but honestly, that’s a small price to pay to move on. Minshew was supposed to help keep the Raiders competitive, but instead, he actively made things worse. So now, Vegas is in full QB-hunting mode. And suddenly, Pete Carroll is having deep convos with the Seahawks’ brass?

Call it a coincidence if you want, but if Geno Smith somehow ends up in Vegas, this whole situation is gonna look real shady. Carroll built the Seahawks into a contender, but is he now out here slowly dismantling them from the outside? The urgency, the secrecy, the whole ‘over an hour‘ chat above 30,000 feet?—it all just feels off. If the Seahawks aren’t careful, they might not even realize what’s happening until it’s too late.

Matthew Stafford to the Raiders? Yeah, it could happen

The quarterback carousel is spinning, and somehow, Matthew Stafford’s name is right in the middle of it. A few months ago, nobody would’ve expected the Las Vegas Raiders to be in the mix for the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl-winning QB. But here we are—Stafford has been given permission to explore trade options, and the Raiders are lurking. Pete Carroll, who spent years scheming against Stafford in the NFC West, might now be plotting a way to bring him to Vegas. And honestly? It’s starting to feel like a real possibility.

Of course, there’s one big question: What’s the price? The Rams reportedly want a first-round pick, but let’s be real for moment here. Trading the No. 6 overall pick for a 37-year-old quarterback feels like a stretch. If LA lowers its demands to a second-rounder, though? Now that changes the game. Stafford is a massive upgrade over anything the Raiders have under center right now, and Carroll isn’t exactly the patient ‘let’s develop a young QB‘ type. He wants to win, and he wants to win now. Stafford could be his best shot at making that happen.

But—Vegas isn’t the only team eyeing Stafford. The Steelers, Giants, and Browns have also been linked to him. With Pittsburgh reportedly considering a package deal for both Stafford and Cooper Kupp. If the Rams decide to hit reset, they’ll have no shortage of trade partners. That means if the Raiders want in, they better act fast. Because the longer they wait, the more likely Stafford ends up somewhere else—and the Raiders are left scrambling for answers at QB yet again.