The Las Vegas Raiders‘ new regime with former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant GM running the show as GM, is trying to get rid of any stink in the building from last season.
So, they have once again let go of a staff member, but this time during the 2025 NFL Combine.
Raiders let go of Matt Sheldon
Matt Sheldon has been involved with the Las Vegas Raiders since 2022. He started as the Director of Football Research and Strategy for two seasons (2022-2023), then became the Game Management Coach in 2024 under head coach Antonio Pierce, helping with in-game decisions. But, the game management was still pretty bad, maybe the worst in the league.
Sheldon has over 20 years of NFL experience. Before the Raiders, he worked with the New York Jets (2019-2020) and Miami Dolphins (2017-2018) in similar research and strategy roles, and as a Senior Analyst for the Denver Broncos (2021). He also coached linebackers for the Buffalo Bills (2006-2009), assisted with defensive backs for the Minnesota Vikings (2010-2011), and worked with the St. Louis Rams (2001-2005) on defense and special teams, including their Super Bowl run.
He also coached in the Canadian Football League with the Montreal Alouettes in 2012 and was a defensive graduate assistant at the University of Wisconsin (1997-1999), helping win two Rose Bowls. He also worked at Zebra Technologies (2013-2014), the NFL’s player-tracking provider, focusing on analytics.
So, he knows football.
But, the Raiders saw what happened last season, and they want something new in the building. I mean, can you blame them? Carroll wants to bring in something new for anything that just didn’t work last year. And, that’s not a shot at Sheldon, but, it just didn’t work.
This new regime has to get this rebuild right. They can’t keep missing the postseason and not winning playoff games. 20 years without a playoff win is enough, and Carroll, as he has said a few times, wants to win now.