Raiders to hire Super Bowl winner as franchise’s next coach
The Raiders didn’t get their top coaching candidate, but they ended up with one who has won a Super Bowl and college football national title.
Pete Carroll and the Las Vegas franchise have reached terms on a deal to make him their next coach. He is expected to sign a three-year contract with a fourth-year team option.
Carroll replaces Antonio Pierce, who was fired Jan. 7 after a 4-13 season. The 73-year-old will join general manager John Spytek in the Raiders’ reconstructed front office. Spytek’s hiring was officially announced Friday by the team.
The week started with the Raiders getting rejected by Ben Johnson, the Lions’ coveted offensive coordinator who was their No. 1 choice from the start of their search. They were offering a substantial amount of money, especially for a first-time head coach, but Johnson accepted the Bears’ offer instead.
The Raiders then turned to Carroll, who had already interviewed for the job and made a positive impression. Sources then confirmed Friday that the two sides had reached a deal.
Carroll coached in Seattle from 2010 to 2023 and led the franchise to its first championship in Super Bowl 48. The Seahawks also reached Super Bowl 49.
Carroll is known for building programs. He won a national championship at USC during a successful nine-year tenure. He’s one of three coaches to win a title in the NFL and college, along with Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer.
Carroll also coached the Patriots and Jets. His NFL record is 170-120-1.
He will work alongside the 44-year-old Spytek, who had been the Buccaneers’ assistant general manager the past two years, and new minority owner Tom Brady. Brady helped spearhead the coaching search and has a significant voice in the club’s decision-making.
In an infamous NFL moment, Brady’s Patriots beat Carroll’s Seahawks in Super Bowl 49 when New England came up with a shocking end zone interception in the closing seconds.
Batteries charged
From the outset of the coaching search, sources close to Carroll described him as “fired up” and “excited” about the opportunity to potentially coach the Raiders. He took this season off after resigning as Seattle’s coach following the 2023 season.
His deep roots in Northern California — Carroll was born in San Francisco and played high school and college football in the area — made the Raiders a particularly good fit.
So did his willingness to embrace a challenge. When Carroll left the powerhouse he built at USC to take over the Seahawks in 2010, Seattle had an unsettled quarterback situation and a roster in need of major help.
He faces a similar situation in Las Vegas, as the Raiders need a quarterback and have other roster holes to fill.
But where that might have dissuaded some coaches from coming to Las Vegas, Carroll was excited about the challenge.
“Pete wants that job,” a source close to Carroll said.
The Raiders at the time were at the beginning stages of formulating their coaching targets, with Johnson heading their list. Around the league, though, sources indicated that Carroll was the better option.
“Ben might be the more popular choice, but Pete is the better fit,” an executive from an NFL team said. “He’s exactly what they need.”
Russell Wilson to Raiders?
Among Carroll and Spytek’s first order of business is upgrading their quarterback room. Ideally, that will come in the draft. But holding the sixth pick does not guarantee they will have access to one of the top prospects — Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward — so they could opt for a bridge quarterback in 2025.
That could create a reunion between Carroll and Wilson, who was taken by the Seahawks in the third round of the 2012 draft and developed into a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
They worked together for 10 seasons in Seattle, and while there were frayed feelings at the end of their run, Wilson and Carroll have reportedly reconciled.
Wilson could be available in free agency after playing last season with the Steelers. Whether or not he ends up in Las Vegas, league sources indicated that a Carroll-led Raiders will be an attractive destination for veteran players and coaches.
“A number of players will follow him, and he has a fine group of people who would join him,” a league source said.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.