Trading a head coach? That's insane, right? But really, it's not. In fact, while the Seattle Seahawks have never pulled off a trade like this, a head coach being traded in the NFL has happened eight times, including in 2019 and in 2022.
In fact, our friends at FanSided's New England Patriots site, Musket Fire, have thrown out the idea of the Patriots even trading Bill Belichick this coming offseason. Belichick is both the head and general manager of the Patriots. If the Patriots can trade Belichick, the Seahawks could trade Carroll, too. I like Pete Carroll, but he has one Super Bowl win to Belichick's six.
Carroll is also the Vice President of Football Operations. If Seattle decides to make a move at their head coaching position this offseason, Seattle chairperson Jody Allen might suggest to Carroll to step down from coaching but keep his VP job. If Carroll wants to keep coaching, though, the team could try to trade him. But to where and for what? Here are some ideas.
Seattle Seahawks change their franchise by trading head coach Pete Carroll this offseason
On Friday, the Los Angeles Chargers not only fired head coach Brandon Staley but general manager Tom Telesco. That is what happens after a team with a good young quarterback, such as Justin Herbert, underachieves for a full season and then gets crushed by a now-6-8 Las Vegas Raiders team 63-21 in Week 15. To be fair, Herbert missed the game after suffering a season-ending finger injury in Week 14, but that does not explain the rest of the Chargers season.
Los Angeles still has a bunch of talent, such as edge rusher Khalil Mack and safety Derwin James, Jr., as well as Herbert, and with the right coach, they should succeed in 2024. Pete Carroll is not a bad coach, of course, but his message in Seattle might have just gotten stale. With a different roster in Los Angeles, Carroll's message should get across better. The Chargers also don't have to grab a franchise-changing quarterback as they already have Herbert so their loss of the first-round pick might be a bit more palatable.
Carroll could also be added as the Chargers' general manager as well. There is no doubt that Carroll knows football - his VP duties with the Seahawks are not in name only; he knows how to build a roster - and he could be the GM for LA longer than being head coach. Plus, he is a California guy and Los Angeles is in California, of course.