An individual with knowledge of the decision informed The Associated Press on Friday that the Las Vegas Raiders are negotiating a deal to hire Pete Carroll as their new head coach.
Since the contract hasn’t been formalized, the individual spoke under the condition of anonymity.
After managing Seattle to two NFC titles and the team’s sole Super Bowl victory over a 14-year run that concluded after the 2023 season, the 73-year-old Carroll is back on the sidelines.
Tom Brady, who defeated Carroll and the Seahawks in the Super Bowl ten years ago, owns a portion of the team he joins. As Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson’s ball at the goal line to give the New England Patriots the victory, Brady watched from the sidelines.
Brady is thought to have played a significant role in the selection process for both this position and the general manager position, which was filled on Wednesday by assistant general manager John Spytek of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, the club has not made Spytek’s hiring public. The Bucs were where Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion, ended his career.
Antonio Pierce was fired by the Raiders after his first complete season ended with a 4–13 record. In 2023, Pierce replaced Josh McDaniels as interim coach and finished 5-4.
Since Jon Gruden was traded to Tampa Bay in 2002, Carroll has become the team’s fourteenth head coach. He will be the fifth coach since the Raiders relocated to Las Vegas in 2020, including interim coaches.
Since reaching the title game in the 2002 season, the once-proud team with three Super Bowl championships and the motto Commitment to Excellence has only made two appearances in the playoffs. In both years, the Raiders were defeated in the wild-card round.
In an AFC West full of established coaches and quarterbacks who seem set to stay for years to come, Carroll faces the difficult task of attempting to revitalize an organization. It will make history by becoming the first division to start a season with every head coach making an appearance in the Super Bowl.
One of his biggest obstacles will be figuring out what to do at quarterback in a division that includes Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, and Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes is trying to win a third consecutive Super Bowl. Nix recently finished a mostly good rookie season, and Herbert is regarded as a quarterback with the potential to be among the best.
Without a trade, the Raiders, who select sixth in this year’s draft, probably won’t be able to select one of the top two quarterbacks, Cam Ward of Miami and Shedeur Sanders of Colorado. The Raiders may have few options and may have to start Aidan O. Connell again because the free-agent market doesn’t seem to be strong.
According to Over The Cap, the Raiders will have around $100 million in salary-cap room to strengthen the rest of the roster if they are unable to make a significant move at quarterback.
With a 6-10 record in 1994, Carroll started his NFL head coaching career with the New York Jets. After nine seasons at USC, he joined Seattle in 2010 after three seasons with the Patriots from 1997 to 1999, going 27–21. In addition to winning the 2003 AP national championship, he guided the Trojans to a national championship in 2004.
Carroll’s NFL record is 170-120-1 overall.
He will join Bill Parcells and Marty Schottenheimer as the third coach since 1940 to coach at least four teams.
— AP Sports This report was written by Mark Anderson of Henderson, Nevada.
— AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi
