After 14 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, including a Super Bowl victory and ten playoff appearances, many expected Pete Carroll to ease into retirement. But at 73, Carroll is doing something not many predicted—returning to the NFL sidelines in 2025 to coach the Las Vegas Raiders. And, in doing so, he has become the oldest head coach in league history.
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The Seahawks legend’s decision is intriguing for several reasons, primarily because he’s diving headfirst into one of football’s toughest jobs: fixing the Raiders.
The Silver and Black have long been a franchise haunted by past glories and more recent dysfunction. To add context, the Tom Brady-part-owned team last won the Lombardi Trophy in 1984. Moreover, they have only made the playoffs twice since 2016.
Naturally, when Mike Robinson asked Pete Carroll on The Get Got Podcast how he planned to reset the culture in such a “graveyard for careers,” the head coach’s answer was immediate and symbolic.
“The first thing we did in the very first meeting… I said, ‘Okay, you guys have a perspective on how times have been here… I bet most of you are sitting in the exact same seat you were sitting in when you left,’” Carroll recounted. “I said, ‘Get up and change your freaking seat. Let’s go. Everybody take a new look at this thing.’”
This wasn’t just a gimmick. It was Pete Carroll’s way of making a clear statement that the past doesn’t matter to him anymore. “You’ll never hear me talk about anything in the past,” he said. “That don’t mean nothing. It’s the next step you take that counts.”
To reinforce that message, the Raiders tactician has also made literal changes. “We painted the hallways… there was so much black in the hallways it was like you’re in a freaking cave,” he said, noting they added more silver to lighten the mood and vibe.
In simple words, Carroll’s changes are also aesthetic, symbolic, and structural, all aimed at giving the Raiders a much-needed fresh start.
But how did Pete Carroll, a coach synonymous with Seattle, even end up in Las Vegas?
Carroll explained that, near the end of the 2023 season, he and Seahawks GM John Schneider found themselves at odds over the team’s future direction. “I said, ‘John… maybe it’s time for us to move it on.’”
Carroll, ever loyal to his players, didn’t want to quit, but the writing was on the wall. Eventually, he stepped aside and took on an advisory role in 2024.
Then came a call from the Raiders offering full control and a new challenge — an offer too intriguing to pass up. “They started talking about the chance to do it exactly the way you want to do it… it just clicked,” the 73-year-old said.
And so far, it looks like things are falling into place for the veteran head coach.
The Raiders have made major offseason strides by reuniting Carroll with Geno Smith via trade. They have also drafted Boise State’s record-breaking running back Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 overall pick, and surrounded the roster with experienced veterans like Alex Cappa and Jeremy Chinn.
On top of it, rookie tight end Brock Bowers, who shattered records last season, and Maxx Crosby are already there. It’s safe to say that the Raiders look like a rejuvenated side already.
The Silver and Black may have been a franchise stuck in the past, but under Pete Carroll, they’re not looking back anymore.
