Pete Carroll is officially back on an NFL sideline.
On Friday, the Las Vegas Raiders agreed to a deal to bring Carroll along as their next head coach. The contract runs for three years with a fourth-year option, according to ESPN.
Breaking: Pete Carroll and the Raiders have reached an agreement on a three-year deal with a fourth-year team option to make him the team’s head coach, sources tell @AdamSchefter. pic.twitter.com/A4V5LLCL4c
— ESPN (@espn) January 24, 2025
The move creates arguably the most legendary group of head coaches competing in a single division. With Carroll officially joining the Raiders, he joins a stacked AFC West with the likes of Andy Reid, Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton.
Just a week ago, Carroll actually returned to the University of Southern California, where he coached from 2000-09 and guided the Trojans program to national dominance. He was actually there to co-teach a class, but is now going from the classroom back to the war room.
Coach Pete on campus!
Pete Carroll is back at USC to teach his course BUAD 498: The Game is Life at @USCMarshall this semester ✌️ pic.twitter.com/T6UehV2Agd
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) January 18, 2025
The first thing that will stand out about Carroll is easy to identify: his presence gives the Raiders an air of legitimacy that the franchise has been desperate to add since they came to Las Vegas.
One of only three head coaches in football history to win a national championship and a Super Bowl (Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer), Carroll has played a major role in establishing a culture of on-field success everywhere he has gone.
Carroll coached the Seattle Seahawks from 2010-23, turning the franchise into a perennial powerhouse in the last decade. His tenure reached its peak when the team defeated the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, giving the franchise its first-ever championship.
The Raiders front office, headed by new general manager John Spytek and with input from minority owner Tom Brady, are hoping Carroll can enjoy the same success in Las Vegas.
There is one small catch, however. Carroll turns 74 in September, and will become the oldest head coach in NFL history.
Needless to say, Carroll is a short-term fix. The Raiders likely knew that going in, however, so it is difficult to imagine they would bring him along without a clear succession plan in place.
As Carroll fills out his coaching staff over the next little while, Raiders fans and analysts alike will be able to get a gauge on what the team is set to look like moving forward.
For now, however, the Raiders celebrate picking up the biggest name of this coaching cycle.
