The Las Vegas Raiders are one of those teams making moves to turn the franchise around. The most important change they did was to bring head coach Pete Carroll. Speaking on his coaching opponents, Carroll was emphatic. Andy Reid with the Chiefs, Jim Harbaugh with the Chargers, and Sean Payton with the Broncos make this the best coached division in football.
Carroll spoke on the team’s website, “If you’re going to be any good, you got to beat the best teams. You have to beat them, and so if this division is loaded with that, then that’s what’s going to make us what we are. And going against Andy, and Sean, and Jimmy down there, it couldn’t be any more challenging because these guys are terrific football coaches, and they’re going to have a complete team…I got to get my act together. I got to play up to those guys.”
Carroll’s not wrong. Between him, Payton, Harbaugh and Reid, they have won five Lombardi trophies, gone to nine Super Bowls, 20 conference championship appearances, and also two national championships in the NCAA (plus one that Carroll vacated). It’s Hall of Famer after Hall of Famer in the AFC West.
There’s one to beat right now though
Even if all of them have incredible resumes, Andy Reid is the one on top of the world right now. For instance, Harbaugh and Payton only got to the division last year, and Carroll is the new guy on the block. Meanwhile, Andy Reid has gone to seven-straight AFC Conference Championship games or further. He’s also won three Super Bowls in the process. He leads not only the AFC West, but basically the whole NFL.
Reid is widely regarded as the best NFL coach nowadays and one of the best of all time. Hence, not only Carroll, but also Payton and Harbaugh, need to dethrone ‘Big Red‘ first to then go and accomplish other goals.
AFC West coaches’ last achievements
While they are all winners, let’s take a look at their last achievements. Reid’s last trophy was won in 2023, as the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes beat the San Francisco 49ers. As for Sean Payton, while he lost the NFC Championship in 2019, his last trophy was in 2009, when he got the New Orleans Saints a Super Bowl win.
Jim Harbaugh went to a Super Bowl but lost it with the 49ers back in 2012. However, being an NFC Champion is not his last accolade. Harbaugh took Michigan all the way to the College Football National Championship and won the whole thing in 2023.
As for Carroll, he won Nattys with USC in 2003 and 2004 (though the latter was then vacated), but his last accomplishment was in 2013 where he guided the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl win. He had the chance to go back-to-back but lost the 2014 Super Bowl against Tom Brady.