Patrick Graham on Pete Carroll: We're watching a master teacher working his craft

While the Raiders have a new head coach in Pete Carroll, they do have some continuity on the coaching staff — perhaps most notably with defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.

Graham was initially hired by Josh McDaniels to serve as DC in 2022. He remained with the team when Antonio Pierce took over as interim head coach midway through 2023 and stayed when Pierce got the full-time role.

Now retained by another head coach in 2025, Graham told reporters on Wednesday that it’s been great working with the 73-year-old Carroll.

“I mean, anytime you get a chance to work with someone with that experience, that level of success, I couldn’t be happier with the experience going on right now, just in terms of to bounce ideas off of him and hear different ways of doing things,” Graham said, via transcript from the team. “It’s been really beneficial for my growth, if I’m being selfish. It’s just something really good and positive for me. And then the track record just, I mean, why wouldn’t you listen? I mean, you’ve got to listen. It’s been great. It’s been great.”

Graham added that he’s especially taken in Carroll’s messages to defensive backs.

“I’m being a sponge anytime he’s talking to those guys,” Graham said. “That’s my personal experience with it. And you can see the energy he has and the ability to teach the position and coach the whole team. This has been really a great situation for myself, for the players, the coaches. We’re watching a master teacher working at his craft and seeing it live and in person. This is really beneficial for us.”

Given his experiences over the last few years, Graham was asked what feels different about entering this season with Las Vegas now that Carroll is leading the club.

“Each season is so different,” Graham said. “Every season it’s 32 teams that have great optimism about the season. So, the thing I can say about the ’25 Raiders, we’re having fun out there, we’re learning how to practice at a high level in the vision of how Pete wants it.

“So again, there’s no certain feeling or anything, because the seasons are always different. But I just know that this group of men right here, they’re forming a bond. They’re understanding how it’s based on relationships here. And the biggest thing that we have to focus on right now — it’s not real, true football, but we’ve got to play with great effort.”

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