Pete Carroll isn’t your grandfather’s septuagenarian. Just watch the man chew gum, or run through drills at practice. He’s 73 years young and he’s now one of the top targets of the Las Vegas Raiders.
But here’s the real reason why the Raiders should be excited about seeing Carroll on their sideline this fall. Veteran coaches rebooting careers with other franchises almost always lead new teams to the playoffs. Plus, they have a great record of leading teams to Super Bowls. In fact, three of the best examples sit in the Raiders’ own division: Andy Reid, Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton – all playoff coaches in 2024. Most recently:
- Reid, who’s 66, wasn’t a first-ballot Hall of Fame coach until he left Philadelphia to coach the Chiefs, where he’s earned appearances in four of the past five Super Bowls – winning three. He’s aiming to improve those numbers in the next few weeks.
- This year, Dan Quinn has the Commanders one win from a Super Bowl berth after leaving Atlanta, where he also earned a Super Bowl appearance.
- John Fox led both the Panthers and Broncos to Super Bowls. His successor in Denver, Gary Kubiak, led Denver to a Super Bowl 50 title after beginning his career in Houston.
- Tom Coughlin nearly reached the Super Bowl with the expansion Jaguars, but won it twice after he joined the New York Giants. He was 61 and 65, respectively, when he beat the Patriots in those games.
- Mike Holmgren won a Super Bowl in Green Bay, then led Seattle back to the big game in 2005.
- Tony Dungy left Tampa Bay to guide Indianapolis to a Super Bowl crown in 2006. His successor in Tampa, Jon Gruden, won the Super Bowl in 2002 after the Bucs landed him in a trade with the Raiders.
- And, of course, Bill Belichick won six of nine New England Super Bowls after beginning his career in Cleveland – capturing the last one at age 66.
And prior to those multiple-team coaches, most NFL fans were alive and remember when:
- Mike Shanahan left the Raiders to lead Denver to consecutive Super Bowl wins in 1997-98.
- Marv Levy started his career in Kansas City, then guided the Bills to four straight Super Bowl berths.
- Dan Reeves led both Denver and Atlanta to Super Bowls.
- And the individual Reid could surpass on the NFL’s all-time wins list, Don Shula, led the Baltimore Colts to Super Bowl III before winning two of four Super Bowls with the Dolphins.
Of course, every move has risk. Hank Stram couldn’t duplicate his Kansas City success in New Orleans. Marty Schottenheimer made four stops as a head coach but never reached the Super Bowl. And, Tom Flores won two Super Bowl rings with the Raiders but couldn’t get the Seahawks to the playoffs.
But for each of those stories, there are more examples of coaches taking new teams to the postseason, including Ron Rivera, Doug Pederson, Todd Bowles, Chuck Knox and Mike McCarthy.
Carroll led Seattle to consecutive Super Bowls in 2013-14, dominating Peyton Manning and the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, 43-8. The Seahawks and Carroll went their separate ways after the 2023 season but he ranks among the top 15 coaches in NFL history with a 181-131-1 career record (.580). And, his resume includes Russell Wilson, who earned the starting role for Seattle as a rookie third-round selection in 2012, then won the Super Bowl with Carroll the following season.
Carroll also interviewed for the Bears’ head-coach vacancy before the team agreed to terms with Ben Johnson on Monday.
For more information on the Raiders or the NFL hiring cycle, visit the Las Vegas team page and the Coach/GM Carousel page at ProFootballPost.com.
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