Former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who spent fourteen seasons in Seattle, has been hired as the new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. Carroll, who brought the first and only Super Bowl to Seattle, has found a new home at the age of 73.
According to Adam Schefter, Carroll's contract with Las Vegas is for three years, with a fourth-year option, making Carroll the oldest head coach in NFL history by the time his contract runs up.
Carroll, who will go down in Seahawks history as one of the greatest head coaches of all time, was a winner for the Seahawks. With a 170-120-1 record, he is the franchise leader in wins. In 2013, he led his hand-built team all the way to the Super Bowl, in which his squad demolished the Denver Broncos 43-8 en route to the city's first-ever Super Bowl win.
Las Vegas Raiders hire former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll
Carroll joins minority owner Tom Brady, who ironically beat Carroll's Seahawks in the Super Bowl in 2014, in Las Vegas as the pair attempts to rebuild a lowly Raiders team. Las Vegas is unsure about its quarterback moving forward, but with the "quarterback whisperer" in Pete Carroll, perhaps they plan on drafting one in the draft this April. And that may not be a bad idea. Or maybe the next Geno Smith is lying in wait.
Pete Carroll has been a mastermind when it comes to quarterbacks. In his first couple of seasons in Seattle, he was able to squeeze out the best of a veteran Matt Hasselbeck. Then, after landing Tarvaris Jackson in a bargain deal, Carroll was able to get some of the most efficient football in Jackson's entire career.
Rookie Russell Wilson was a phenom under Carroll's tutelage. And then came journeyman backup Geno Smith, who has played the best football of his life since being named the starter of Carroll's Seahawks back in 2022.
Whether Carroll has his eyes on current Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell, a free agent quarterback, or an incoming draft prospect, Raiders fans should be excited. Pete Carroll and Tom Brady, the best quarterback to ever do it, know what they're doing. And the two together, which feels incredibly backward, could be a very formidable duo in developing a quarterback.
The Raiders will be Carroll's fourth NFL team. He started his career with the New York Jets in 1994 before heading to New England to coach the Patriots in 1997. In 2001, Carroll was hired by the University of Southern California, where he proceeded to win two national championships in 2003 and 2004.
After a nine-year tenure at USC, Carroll was ultimately hired as the Seahawks head coach in 2010. And, well, the rest is history, as Carroll led the Seahawks to two Super Bowls, including a Super Bowl win.
However, fast-forwarding to 2023, the Seahawks failed to make the playoffs and felt stuck in mediocrity. The Seattle brass was tired of being good, but not good enough to do any damage in the postseason. After a 9-8 third-place finish in the NFC West, Seattle officially moved on from Pete Carroll after fourteen years. Seattle ultimately ended up bringing in Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald to be Carroll's successor. Macdonald was 35 years younger than Carroll.