Pete Carroll is here to stay!
Mar 26, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll speaks to reporters at the NFL Annual Meetings. Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports
And here he is Seahawks fans, your head coach of the Seattle Seahawks for the next three years: Pete Carroll.
Even two months after coaching the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl victory, it just keeps getting better for Pete. The front office showed their thanks, gratitude and appreciation with a three-year contract extension Friday. With the new extension, he will be one of the three highest-paid coaches in the league, a source informed of the deal told NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.
Before coming to Seattle, Carroll, 62, coached the University of Southern California into greatness and won two national titles with them. Before that, he went 34-33 over four NFL seasons as coach of the New York Jets in 1994 and New England Patriots from 1997-99. Carroll has a professional record of 71-57 now.
“It’s a statement of our staying power and our willingness to do something really special with this opportunity here and representing this fantastic fan base and the area and the following that we have,” Carroll, whose original five-year deal was set to expire after the 2014 season, said at his press conference.
Including the postseason, the Seahawks have gone 43-28 since Carroll arrived from USC in 2010 and have reached the playoffs in three of his four seasons.
Carroll wanted to start the best and most ready players, like Russell Wilson, who jumped ahead of the free agent Matt Flynn to start the 2012 season. Since then, Russell has won 28 starts, which is a record for quarterbacks in the first two seasons of a career.
“We’re just trying to help everybody be the best they can be,” he said, “to a level that I hope singles us out in a way. Our guys know we care about them.”
“We’re a little different,” said Carroll, citing his philosophy and lockstep relationship with Schneider. “We do things in a different fashion.”
And it can really be seen in the defense. In the growing receivers and tight ends that have taken over the NFL passing realm. Seattle’s top-ranked defense was textbook while fighting through the Denver Broncos’ record-setting offense in Super Bowl XLVIII.
“We’re in the middle of something really special here,” said Carroll. “I’m just thrilled to be part of it.”
Seems as though the Seahawks will be set at the top for some time now. Great coach. Great players.
Draft time next.