Las Vegas Raiders agree to hire 73-year-old Pete Carroll as their head coach, AP source says

 

[January 25, 2025]  By ROB MAADDI and MARK ANDERSON

Pete Carroll has a youthful energy that many people half his age don't possess, and the Raiders hope that enthusiasm — and, more importantly, his proven track record — translates to Las Vegas.

It's a gamble in a city that knows something about that subject on someone who will turn 74 in September, but younger coaches have come up short since the Raiders moved to Las Vegas in 2020.

The Raiders have agreed to hire Carroll as their head coach, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Friday.

The team and Carroll agreed in principle on a three-year deal with a one-year team option, the person told the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract hasn’t been finalized.

Carroll returns to the sideline after leading Seattle to two NFC championships and the franchise’s only Super Bowl title during a 14-year stretch that ended following the 2023 season. He will be the league's oldest head coach next season, surpassing 66-year-old Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs.

“I think Pete's got a ton of energy,” North Carolina and former Patriots coach Bill Belichick said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “If you look at some of the coaches in the league like Andy Reid, he's not doing too bad.”

Carroll joins a team that’s partly owned by Tom Brady, who beat Carroll and the Seahawks in the Super Bowl 10 years ago. Brady watched from the sideline as Malcolm Butler picked off Russell Wilson’s pass at the goal line to seal the victory for New England.

Brady is believed to have a major hand in the hiring process for this job and the general manager spot, which was filled by Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant GM John Spytek on Wednesday. Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion, finished his career with the Bucs.

The Raiders fired coach Antonio Pierce after going 4-13 in his first full season. Pierce was 5-4 as an interim coach in 2023 after replacing Josh McDaniels.

Carroll becomes the team’s 14th head coach since Jon Gruden was traded to Tampa Bay in 2002. He will become the fifth coach, including those in an interim role, since the Raiders moved to Las Vegas in 2020.

The once-proud organization with three Super Bowl trophies and the motto “Commitment to Excellence” has appeared in just two playoffs since making the championship game in the 2002 season. The Raiders lost in the wild-card round in both years.

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll looks on before before an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Carroll has the demanding job of trying to revive an organization in an AFC West loaded with proven coaches and quarterbacks who appear to be in place for years to come. It will become the first division to open a season in which each head coach has appeared in a Super Bowl.

One of his chief challenges will be what to do at quarterback in a division that includes the Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, the Chargers' Justin Herbert and the Broncos' Bo Nix. Mahomes is pursuing his fourth Super Bowl title and third in a row. Herbert is considered a potentially top-level QB and Nix just completed a largely successful rookie season.

The Raiders pick sixth in the draft this year and likely won't be in position to take one of the top two QBs — Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward — barring a trade. The free-agent market doesn't appear robust, so the Raiders' options might be limited and could return to Aidan O'Connell as the starter.

If the Raiders are unable to make a major move at quarterback, they will have nearly $100 million in salary-cap space, according to Over The Cap, to bolster the rest of the roster.

Carroll began his NFL head coaching career with the New York Jets in 1994, going 6-10. He was 27-21 in three seasons with the Patriots from 1997-99 and joined Seattle in 2010 after nine seasons at Southern California. He led the 2004 Trojans to a national championship and also the 2003 AP national title.

Overall, Carroll is 170-120-1 in the NFL.

He will become the third coach since 1940 to lead at least four teams, joining Bill Parcells and Marty Schottenheimer.

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