Ashton Jeanty entered the NFL with expectations few rookies ever face. A dominant final season at Boise State. A top-10 draft selection. Immediate projections as a future Offensive Rookie of the Year.
What he didn’t expect was how quickly optimism could collapse.
Jeanty’s first professional season with the Las Vegas Raiders unraveled almost as soon as it began. Despite flashes of brilliance, the team finished 3–14, securing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and triggering a full reset. Pete Carroll was fired after just one year.
From the outside, the pairing felt foolproof. Carroll, a legendary run-first coach with a reputation for empowering players. Jeanty, a physical, instinctive runner built for volume and trust.
Instead, it became one of the strangest footnotes of Carroll’s Hall of Fame résumé.
That’s why Jeanty’s reaction matters.
When asked about Carroll’s dismissal, the rookie didn’t distance himself. He didn’t hedge. He didn’t lean into the easy narrative of failure.
“It was great,” Jeanty said plainly. Not diplomatically — sincerely.
He described Carroll as a “player’s coach,” someone who cared about the person beyond the helmet. The tone wasn’t nostalgic or defensive. It was grounded, almost grateful.
“Obviously it didn’t work out,” Jeanty admitted. “But I’m grateful for the time I had with him.”
That honesty reframes the entire situation.
Carroll’s Raiders tenure wasn’t undone by ego or dysfunction. It was undone by fit, timing, and circumstance — factors that don’t always show up in box scores or standings. Jeanty’s words suggest a season that failed structurally, not culturally.
For a rookie navigating his first taste of professional adversity, that distinction matters.
Now, Jeanty stands at another inflection point. With Carroll gone, the Raiders are preparing to hand their offense to Klint Kubiak, a coach known for precision, rhythm, and maximizing the run game.
Seattle’s offense finished top-10 in rushing without a true bell-cow back. The implication is hard to miss. Jeanty’s skill set may finally align with the system around him.
There’s also change coming under center. With the No. 1 pick, the Raiders are expected to select quarterback Fernando Mendoza, adding balance and credibility to an offense that often stalled last season.
For Jeanty, this reset feels less like recovery and more like opportunity.
Away from football, his perspective remains shaped by something deeper than draft status or coaching changes. Raised on military bases, the son of a U.S. Navy chief petty officer, Jeanty has never separated success from service.
That’s why his partnership with USAA and Disabled American Veterans feels personal rather than performative. Helping U.S. Army veteran Sgt. Noah Galloway attend the Super Bowl wasn’t a publicity move. It was alignment with values he’s carried long before the NFL.
Those values may explain why Jeanty’s response to Carroll’s firing feels so grounded. There’s no bitterness. No blame. Just acknowledgment of a chapter that mattered, even if it ended early.
Pete Carroll’s final stop may be remembered as an anomaly. But for Jeanty, it was still formative — a reminder that leadership isn’t defined only by wins, and that growth often comes disguised as disappointment.
As the Raiders turn the page, Jeanty isn’t looking back with resentment. He’s looking forward with clarity.
And in a league that often demands instant judgments, that patience might be the most telling sign of who he’s becoming.
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