Pete Carroll is headed from the classroom back to an NFL sideline – and into the record books.
The Las Vegas Raiders are hiring the former Seattle Seahawks coach to fill the vacancy for their top job, according to an ESPN report.
The move will make Carroll, who turns 74 in September, the oldest coach in modern NFL history, as he will surpass former Houston Texans interim head coach Romeo Crennel (73 years, 199 days on his final game) when he leads the Raiders in their season opener. Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid, 66, had held the title of the league’s oldest active coach.
Carroll spent this season out of the NFL after being pushed out by the Seahawks last January. He is co-teaching a course this semester at the University of Southern California, where he coached from 2001-09 and led the Trojans to two national championships.
Carroll interviewed with the Chicago Bears on Jan. 9 for the position that went to Ben Johnson. He also spoke with the Dallas Cowboys about their opening, according to multiple reports, though no formal interview took place.
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In 14 seasons leading the Seahawks, Carroll led the franchise to 10 playoff appearances and its only Super Bowl title. He said he fought to remain with the team after its second consecutive 9-8 finish in 2023, but the team instead opted to move on. Seattle later hired Mike Macdonald, who became the NFL’s youngest head coach at 36 when he landed the job.
The hire is one of the Raiders’ first significant additions that entailed Tom Brady, who officially become a part-owner of the organization in October. Owner Mark Davis said in December he wanted the six-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, who also serves as the lead NFL game analyst for Fox, to have a ‘huge voice’ in shaping all football matters for the team.
Earlier in the week, the franchise selected Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant general manager John Spytek to be the team’s new GM.
The Raiders decided to clean house this offseason, firing coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco after the team struggled to a 4-13 mark.
Davis has made it clear that identifying a young quarterback, with Brady’s help, is a priority for the franchise this offseason after the team cycled through Gardner Minshew II, Aidan O’Connell and Desmond Ridder in 2024. The Raiders hold the No. 6 overall pick and are projected to have approximately $92 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap, the second-highest total of any team.
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