Every NFL preseason game is ultimately meaningless. Who wins and who loses does not matter in real standings. The contests are used more to determine which players will make up the bottom of the roster. The Starters don't play much. All that said, the Seattle Seahawks' 2025 preseason openers just got a lot more meaningful.
The Seahawks do not play the Las Vegas Raiders in the regular season until 2026, when Seattle will play the teams from the AFC West. Pete Carroll now coaches the Raiders, and as nearly every 12 knows, Carroll was Seattle's very successful head coach between 2010 and 2023.
After the 2023 season, he was let go, and the team hired Mike Macdonald. While Carroll did not coach anywhere last season, Macdonald led Seattle to a 10-7 record and missed the playoffs by one game. Macdonald is seemingly a good hire, and Carroll definitely was.
Pete Carroll drops some fantastic news about the Seahawks and the Raiders
Many Seahawks fans might find themselves pulling for Carroll and his Raiders as long as they are not playing the Seahawks. We know that will happen in 2026, but according to what Carroll said on the Brock and Salk show on Seattle Sports 710 AM Wednesday, Las Vegas and Seattle will meet in the first game of this year's preseason.
Carroll said, "The changes (the Seahawks) made have obviously turned out great. They got a good coach and a good staff, and they’re rolling, and so more power to him. Hey, what a coincidence, huh? How about the opening game of the preseason? Is that out yet?"
It wasn't until Carroll said it. Of course, he didn't truly say it, but certainly implied it. Why else comment? If it isn't true, Carroll was seemingly taking a dig at 12s, knowing Seattle football fans would care about an otherwise meaningless preseason game, and that is not Carroll's normal behavior.
"Hey, what a coincidence, huh?" 😂
— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) May 14, 2025
Full video of Pete Carroll's visit w/ @BrockHuard & @TheMikeSalk coming to https://t.co/gJbsLnUqfp + Seattle Sports on YouTube. https://t.co/SO9DQEaIgR pic.twitter.com/rsgYknVo1K
If the game does come to fruition, one other formerly important member of the Seahawks organization probably won't get faux revenge. Quarterback Geno Smith was traded to the Raiders this offseason after he felt Seattle would not offer him the guaranteed money he wanted. Smith will probably not play in the first preseason game, though it would be fun if he did.
The official 2025 NFL regular season schedule will be announced on May 14 at 5 p.m. PT. The Raiders, of course, are not on it. The meaningful game between the Seahawks and Las Vegas will have to wait until 2026. The issue with that one is Seattle will have to travel to play the Raiders, so Pete Carroll and Geno Smith won't do their thing at Lumen Field.