After failing in their (potential) Hail Mary attempt to lure Bill Belichick to Las Vegas, the Raiders will now take a look at another long-time NFL coach. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Raiders are set to interview Pete Carroll for their coaching vacancy next week.
Carroll spent this past year out of the NFL following his divorce with the Seahawks last offseason. It didn’t take long for the former Super Bowl winner to reemerge in this year’s hiring cycle. The 73-year-old met with the Bears about their head coaching vacancy earlier today.
The long-time coach would bring 18 years of HC experience to Las Vegas. He most recently spent more than a decade in Seattle, where he helped guide the Seahawks to 10 playoff berths, including two Super Bowl appearances. However, the organization decided to move on after Carroll and the Seahawks went 25-26 with a single one-and-done playoff appearance between 2021 and 2023.
Even before Carroll was ousted, there were rumblings that the coach was considering retirement or a transition to the front office. Shortly thereafter, we heard that Carroll always intended to stick around as Seattle’s HC for at least one more year, and his recent appearance in the interview circuit clearly indicates that he’s not ready to step away from the NFL.
While Carroll was tasked with guiding competitive teams in his time with Seattle and New England, he’ll be eyeing a rebuilding situation in Las Vegas. The Raiders are armed with the sixth-overall pick and will be one of the main suitors for the draft’s top QB prospects. Carroll once guided the Seahawks to contention with third-round pick Russell Wilson, and his defensive pedigree could help speed up the franchise’s turnaround.
The Raiders are now seeking their fourth full-time HC since the 2021 campaign. While Antonio Pierce avoided a Black Monday firing, he was handed his pink slip the following day. Carroll represents the sixth definitive candidate for the job. We heard earlier today that former Jets head coach Robert Saleh had joined the list with Lions coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, Ravens OC Todd Monken, and Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo. Mike Vrabel and Brian Flores have also been mentioned as potential options for the organization, but neither candidate has scheduled a reported interview.
As for Belichick, we heard that Tom Brady — who is playing a central role in the Las Vegas HC search — recently contacted his former coach to see about a reunion. It was quickly reported that Belichick didn’t have any interest in reneging on his UNC commitment. Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal believes that Brady was merely picking his former coach’s brain as he prepares for a HC move, and Mark Maske The Washington Post says the Raiders haven’t given “serious consideration in recent days” to a Belichick pursuit.
It’s already been a busy day in Las Vegas. The Raiders kicked off a GM search after moving on from Tom Telesco.
Raiders need a GM first, they are rudderless!
He’s six and a half years older than the oldest coach in football. I can’t imagine hiring him to a team that’s two years from contending in the best possible circumstance.
Why? Franchises like LV and CHI have seen the merry-go-round of OCs/DCs trying to be HCs. Carroll has the best resume out of any candidate out there. You’ve seen what Jim H and Sean P have done to their franchises in short time frames. Carroll would immediately improve these teams. So he’s in his early 70s, so what? He isn’t going to drop dead on the sideline anytime soon.
Pete is young for his age. He will still be coherent into his 80s, unlike others that age.
No
Maybe you hire a senior veteran coach that can show this organization how a real head coach manages his staff, players, office personnel, and helps mentor his replacement at the same time?
There is much to be gained through age and wisdom of an experienced coach like Pete Carroll. He took Seattle to the playoffs ten seasons and two Superbowls. Everyone knows it is difficult to stay on top of the NFL for any head coach (you bring in good coaches who get swiped by other teams, you develop young talent who all eventually need to get paid forcing the GM to let guys go and weaken your roster, and every other coach studies everything you do that brought you success and try to counter it or steal it….it’s the nature of the beast).
I’m not saying he’s the best choice for the job…I’m saying he could start to provide a great foundation for the next coach to come in and get this Raiders organization headed in the right direction, because lord knows the organization needs to create some stability, especially in the division they are in with all the good coaches competing in this division.
He has proven he can win in a tough division. He’s proven he can develop talent. He’s proven he can build a good defense and sustain it. He’s proven he can help draft well. There’s a lot to like with Pete. I’d take him over every other name on that list right now.
All of these guys have been successful as Coordinators, but he is the only one that has seen success as a HC. Great players don’t necessarily make great coaches, in the same way great sales people don’t usually make great managers, in the same way, great coordinators don’t often make great Head Coaches. It’s a different skill set and Pete has shown he is very good at it.
Some will say his play call on the goal line to pass the ball makes him a bad coach and if he had it to do over again he probably rolls the dice with Lynch to try to pound it in. If that play was successful, the majority of people would have called him a genius (kudos to Butler and the Patriots being ready for it – which by the way, Butler failed on that exact play in practice leading up to the Super Bowl multiple times if you watched the documentary).
Pete would be an excellent choice to build a winning culture. He certainly doesn’t act 73. Never know at that age, but for a team that’s barely won lately, the Raiders could use a guy who is a Winner.