Raiders dismiss special teams coordinator following defeat to Broncos

Raiders Fire Special Teams Coordinator After Loss

The Las Vegas Raiders have made a move in their coaching staff following a narrow 10-7 defeat to the Denver Broncos on Thursday night.

On Friday, the team announced the dismissal of special teams coordinator Tom McMahon. Head coach Pete Carroll shared in a statement, “Today we made the tough decision to let Tom McMahon go. I have a lot of respect for the work he has done in the league, but we felt it was time to head in a new direction.”

Assistant special teams coordinator Delius Swinton II is set to step up as the new special teams coach.

Mistakes in special teams contributed heavily to the Raiders’ loss, particularly a critical moment late in the game when kicker Daniel Carlson missed a chance to score. It was 10-7 with just over four minutes remaining when Carlson couldn’t make the game-winning field goal.

Carroll commented after the game, “He’s got to kick better. It’s crucial for him—and he knows that. He wants success, but he really needs to improve.”

Earlier this season, during a game against the Chicago Bears which ended in a 25-24 loss, Carlson was in a position to make a game-winning field goal but missed. Just last week, he also missed an important extra point in a heartbreaking 30-29 overtime loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

McMahon was among two coordinators that Carroll chose to part ways with when he took charge; the other is defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.

The Raiders have a history of mid-season coaching changes, having fired either their head coach, a coordinator, or the general manager in all but two seasons since 2017.