Within the walls of the Raiders’ Henderson headquarters Monday, the firing of coach Pete Carroll felt less like a coaching change and more like a seminal moment.

For the first time in what seems like forever, the Raiders have something significant to offer any potential coaching candidate they target.

It comes in the form of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, which almost certainly will be used to select either Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza or Oregon’s Dante Moore, the two best quarterback prospects.

That allows them to be legitimate players for the type of coach they will target. First and foremost, an offensive-minded coach in the mold of Sean McVay, Ben Johnson or Liam Coen. Or, a coach with a strong defensive background who can use the prospects of a young, highly regarded quarterback to attract a bright offensive coordinator.

That is what Dan Quinn did two years ago in Washington when he used the potential of Jayden Daniels to entice Kliff Kingsbury to be the Commanders’ offensive coordinator.

Couple that with the second-most cap space in the NFL, at least 10 draft picks next April, and offensive cornerstone pieces like Brock Bowers, Ashton Jeanty and Kolton Miller already in place, the Raiders are one of the most attractive openings in the league.

Nearly as important is the crystal clear chain of command now in place, with general manager John Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady collaborating to lead the search.

That is in stark contrast to the last three Raiders coaching searches, which ran simultaneously to their search for a new general manager and created confusion on who had final say on big decisions and who reported to whom and when.

Between the resources and the clarity, the Raiders believe significant change is possible.

“We have a massive opportunity in front of us this offseason to set this organization, this franchise, on a course for success and provide the results that Raider Nation and the Las Vegas community deserves and expects,” said Spytek. “We intend to attack it full on.”

Moving on

That it all comes at the expense of Carroll, the highly respected Super Bowl and college national champion coach.

It’s been an open secret around the NFL that the 74-year-old Carroll and the 45-year-old Spytek were operating out of different playbooks since hired together last January.

Carroll wanted to win now, and his personnel decisions reflected that urgency. Spytek preferred a more deliberate approach that could help set the Raiders up for long-range success.

To continue with that dysfunctional tandem, even for one more year, would have been a waste of time. For the Raiders to maximize all the assets at hand, including a young quarterback, the entire organization needs to be in lockstep.

That was the conclusion Spytek and Brady arrived at upon meeting with Raiders owner Mark Davis in the hours after the club’s season-ending win over the Chiefs on Sunday and into Monday morning.

“After a lot of discussions,” Spytek said. “we made a decision to go in a different direction.”

The team announced the decision via social media about 9 a.m. Monday and began the process of finding a coach that shares the vision of Brady and Spytek, but aligns with the reset that a young quarterback represents.

“We’re looking for someone to build this the right way and not think that we’ve got to produce 10 wins or whatever next year,” Spytek said.

Less stress, more football

Saying that should reduce the stress level of Carroll’s successor, who will undoubtedly inquire about the trigger-happy approach the Raiders have taken with their coaches over the last few years.

In the aftermath of Jon Gruden, who was forced to resign during the 2021 season when a slew of inappropriate emails he sent were made public, the Raiders have run through three coaches and three general managers.

That will certainly be a topic of discussion when the Raiders begin interviewing candidates, which will start immediately. It will be up to Spytek and Brady to sell their top choice on the merits of a detailed, “meticulous” plan and their discipline to give it the necessary time to see things through.

“We’re not beginning with the end in mind,” Spytek said, “and we want a meticulous build that will set us up for years of success in the future.

”We have a great opportunity to do that with everything that we have in front of us right now.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.

All-time Raiders coaches

Name, seasons (record)

Eddie Erdelatz

Years: 1960-61 (6-10)

Marty Feldman

Years: 1961-62 (2-15)

Red Conkright

Years: 1962 (1-8)

Al Davis

Years: 1963-65 (23-16-3)

John Rauch

Years: 1966-68 (33-8-1)

John Madden

Years: 1969-78 (103-32-7)

Tom Flores

Years: 1979-87 (83-53)

Mike Shanahan

Years: 1988-89 (8-12)

Art Shell

Years: 1989-94 (54-38)

Mike White

Years: 1995-96 (15-17)

Joe Bugel

Years: 1997 (4-12)

Jon Gruden

Years: 1998-2001 (38-26)

Bill Callahan

Years: 2002-03 (15-17)

Norv Turner

Years: 2004-05 (9-23)

Art Shell

Years: 2006 (2-14)

Lane Kiffin

Years: 2007-08 (5-15)

Tom Cable

Years: 2008-10 (17-27)

Hue Jackson

Years: 2011 (8-8)

Dennis Allen

Years: 2012-14 (8-28)

Tony Sparano

Years: 2014 (3-9)

Jack Del Rio

Years: 2015-17 (25-23)

Jon Gruden

Years: 2018-21 (22-31)

Rich Bisaccia

Years: 2021 (7-5)

Josh McDaniels

Years: 2022-23 (9-16)

Antonio Pierce

Years: 2023-24 (9-17)

Pete Carroll

Years: 2025 (3-14)