It has never been more lucrative to coach football, which is why so many former players are throwing their hats in the ring. Former Raiders quarterback AJ McCarron was last on an NFL roster during the 2023 season, but he found new life in the XFL (now UFL).
However, he decided to walk away from football earlier in 2025. While he’s no longer playing, that doesn’t mean he won’t be heavily involved with the sport. The Birmingham Stallions of the UFL announced that McCarron will be the team’s next head coach.
Previously, McCarron had announced that he was running for lieutenant governor of Alabama, but has now decided to remove himself from that race to focus on coaching football.
At 35, he could have a bright coaching future ahead of him, but he doesn’t have any previous experience, even as a position coach. He was mentored by legendary college football coach Nick Saban, so he likely learned a lot along the way. The stakes will be pretty low in the UFL, and his status as an Alabama legend could bring some attention to the Stallions. If he does well, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him move up the ranks pretty quickly.
Raiders Could Be Looking for New Head Coach
Speaking of teams looking for head coaches, the Raiders could be one of them in less than a month. At this point, it’s unlikely they fire Pete Carroll during the season, but his future is looking grim.
The Raiders are 2-12 and heading toward their worst finish in nearly two decades. The team needs to accept that they’re in a rebuild, but Carroll isn’t the right coach for that. It’s hard to imagine he’s excited about the idea of returning to this franchise next season, but he’s too competitive to retire or quit.
The Raiders need to go young at head coach. It’s going to take years to get this team in the right place, but finding the right coach will make the turnaround much quicker. Unfortunately, Carroll doesn’t make much sense going forward.
Geno Smith Still Hoping to Win Games
The only positive thing that could come from this season is the Raiders ending up with the No. 1 pick. The only way they can ensure that happens is if they lose the rest of their games.
Even one more win would likely push them down the draft order. Quarterback Geno Smith definitely doesn’t want the Raiders to get the top pick, as it would mean he’s likely to get replaced at quarterback. He’s hoping the Raiders could get back into the win column before the end of the season.
“That’s what we’re pressing towards, and nothing happens in one day [or] one year,” Smith told reporters Wednesday. “We would have loved to win the Super Bowl this year, but that’s not our reality right now. The reality is we’ve got to get better, and we’ve got to focus on getting better day to day, and anything else outside of that really is nonsense.”
Winning would be a disaster for the Raiders, but players and coaches who aren’t expected to return are only focused on looking good for their next jobs.
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