5 coaches that could eventually replace Pete Carroll with the Seahawks
By Lee Vowell
The Seattle Seahawks have had their longest run of sustained success under head coach Pete Carroll. But who could eventually replace him? And I write this with zero ill will towards Carroll and I don't want him to step down any time soon.
Maybe, like every coach, he makes silly blunders at times (enough with taking bad timeouts!), he is still unarguably the greatest coach in the history of the franchise. He also led a young team in 2022 to an unexpected playoff game. Pete Carroll can still coach football, simple and plain.
But evenutally Pete Carroll will decide he no longer wants to be the head coach of the Seahawks. When he leaves, he will probably still keep his title as Vice President of Football Operations. In that role, he will have a say in who Seattle hires as the next head coach, most likely. And he should have a say in who leads the team next. So based on that, here are five coaches who could replace Carroll in Seattle.
Seahawks replacement for Pete Carroll No. 5: Clint Hurtt
So let's assume (safely, I hope) that Carroll goes out a winner. If Carroll is winning football games that would mean his coordinators are also winning games. And Pete Carroll is a notoriously loyal guy. When he goes, and assuming he has a say in who takes his spot, Clint Hurtt could be the guy.
Sure, Hurtt hasn't even been a defensive coordinator for multiple years yet, but Carroll is a defensive-minded coach and that has worked for the most part. Promoting Hurtt to head coach would be a logical step for Carroll. Hurtt also has been immensely well-respected in coaching circles for years, even as a position coach.
Hurtt's defensive players also clearly respect him and a healthy respect for your coach is, of course, a given for a team to be successful. That said, year two for Hurtt as DC in Seattle is monumentally important for both the team and the coach. If the defense is much better, Hurtt having learned from any mistakes he made in 2022, then the team is better and Hurtt will also look better.