Pete Carroll Is Stepping Down As Seahawks Head Coach

The Seattle Seahawks will join a very active coaching carousel this offseason in the NFL, as rather shocking word broke on Wednesday that longtime head coach Pete Carroll is stepping down from his role as coach in 2024.

Carroll has been the coach in Seattle for 14 years, making him one of the longest tenured head coaches in the league, winning one Super Bowl in 2013 and compiling a 137-89-1 record over his time with the Seahawks. The 72-year-old will stay with the franchise in an advisory role, but the team will now make a coaching change and join the Falcons, Raiders, Titans, Panthers, Commanders, and Chargers as teams searching for a new head coach — with the Patriots potentially joining the fray.

The Seahawks are certainly an intriguing destination for coaching candidates, as there’s clearly a willingness to give coaches space and time, as Carroll’s teams have had ups and downs in recent years and been able to work through them. It also raises questions about what their long-term plans are at quarterback, with Geno Smith facing a 2024 guarantee date on his contract of February 16, and if they’re looking to reset their timeline with a new coach, he could be an intriguing option for the many teams looking for quarterback help.

In any case, Seattle will be making a coaching change for the first time in 15 years, and we’ll find out exactly what direction they want to go in as a franchise. It didn’t take long for current Cowboys defensive coordinator and former Seahawks DC Dan Quinn to be named as one of the top candidates for the job.

UPDATE: Making matters a bit spicier was Carroll noting in his presser that he was not looking to step down, but seemingly was told by ownership he would be leaving the role.