Raiders Hire 73-Year-Old Pete Carroll as Head Coach, Source Confirms
The Las Vegas Raiders have made a bold move, agreeing to hire 73-year-old Pete Carroll as their new head coach, a source familiar with the decision confirmed to The Associated Press on Friday. Despite his age—he will turn 74 in September—Carroll’s boundless energy and long history of success in the NFL have made him the team’s top choice.
Carroll, who will be the oldest head coach in the league next season, comes with an impressive resume, including two NFC championships and one Super Bowl victory with the Seattle Seahawks. After a 14-year tenure with Seattle that ended following the 2023 season, Carroll is set to take on a new challenge with the Raiders, who have struggled to find stability in recent years.
The deal is expected to be a three-year contract with a one-year team option, although the contract has not yet been finalized. Carroll’s hiring marks the 14th head coach for the Raiders since the team traded Jon Gruden to Tampa Bay in 2002. He will be the fifth head coach since the team relocated to Las Vegas in 2020.
"Pete has an incredible amount of energy," said Bill Belichick, former head coach of the New England Patriots, during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show." "Just look at guys like Andy Reid, who’s in his 60s and still doing well. Pete can definitely keep up."
The Raiders are now under the ownership of a group that includes seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, who was involved in the hiring process for both the head coach and the general manager. The Raiders recently hired John Spytek, an assistant GM with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to fill the GM role.
Carroll’s challenge will be to revive a Raiders franchise that, despite its rich history of three Super Bowl titles, has only appeared in two playoff games since the 2002 season. He will need to navigate a highly competitive AFC West division, which is home to some of the league’s top quarterbacks, including Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs), Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers), and Bo Nix (Denver Broncos).
One of the biggest decisions Carroll will face is how to address the quarterback position. With the Raiders picking sixth in the upcoming NFL draft, they may not be in a position to secure one of the top two quarterbacks, Shedeur Sanders of Colorado or Cam Ward of Miami, unless they trade up. With a lack of strong options in free agency, the team could look to continue with Aidan O’Connell as their starter.
Carroll has plenty of experience to draw from. He began his NFL coaching career in 1994 with the New York Jets, followed by stints with the New England Patriots, before taking the helm of the Seattle Seahawks in 2010. Throughout his career, Carroll has accumulated a 170-120-1 record in the NFL.
As he embarks on this new chapter with the Raiders, Carroll joins a rare group of coaches—Bill Parcells and Marty Schottenheimer—who have led four or more NFL teams. Now, the Raiders are hoping Carroll’s expertise will finally bring stability and success to a franchise that’s been searching for both.