Pete Carroll is out as head coach of Seahawks
Written by quietmoneyradio_admin on January 10, 2024
No one saw this one coming.
The Seattle Seahawks parted ways with Pete Carroll as their head coach on Wednesday after nearly 15 years in the role.
Team owner Jody Allen released a statement announcing that Carroll wasn’t fired, but his role is “evolving” from head coach to adviser.
Seattle hired Carroll away from USC in 2010, which began the most successful era in Seahawks history. Two years after Carroll took over the then-34-year-old franchise, the Seahawks drafted quarterback Russell Wilson and the good times really got going. Two years after that, Carroll and Wilson were holding the Lombardi Trophy, having led the team to its first Super Bowl championship. Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos before the 2022 season, but Carroll kept his job (at the time).
Over his 14 years as head coach, Carroll wasn’t able to win a second Super Bowl (the Seahawks lost the big game to the New England Patriots in the 2014 season) but made nine overall trips to the playoffs. He has a 137-89-1 record and is the winningest head coach in Seahawks history by a huge margin (the second place coach, Mike Holmgren, has over 50 fewer wins than Carroll).
That Carroll stayed afloat through the Wilson upheaval is a testament to his staying power and influence within the organization. And to put the whipped cream and cherry on top of that sundae, the 2022 Seahawks surprised the entire NFL by turning journeyman backup Geno Smith into a starting quarterback and making it to the playoffs.
The 2023 season wasn’t as kind. Seattle ended with the same 9-8 record as in 2022, but missed the playoffs, leaving a bunch of missed chances and unrealized potential in its wake. The Seahawks struggled behind Smith, who himself struggled with injuries.
