It’s been about 16 months since the Seattle Seahawks parted ways with longtime head coach Pete Carroll, who oversaw the greatest run of success in franchise history.
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Since then, the Seahawks have significantly reshaped their team under second-year head coach Mike Macdonald.
Carroll, meanwhile, found his way back to the sidelines. The 73-year-old was hired as the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach in January and is busy preparing for his 19th season as an NFL head coach.
On Wednesday morning, Carroll reconnected with Brock Huard and Mike Salk for a wide-ranging conversation on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. At one point during their discussion, Salk asked Carroll about the end of his 14-year tenure with the Seahawks, which came to a close on Jan. 10, 2024 when Carroll and the team “mutually agreed to set a new course,” as the coach said during a press conference that day.
In response to Salk’s question, Carroll highlighted his desire to give general manager John Schneider an opportunity to run the show. Carroll and Schneider worked together for the entirety of the coach’s 14 seasons in Seattle, but it was a unique dynamic where Carroll – not the GM – held the final say in personnel decisions. After Carroll’s departure, Schneider now holds that responsibility.
“It came to me that there was a time that we probably were about to face one of the bigger changes and shifts in the program,” Carroll said. “And I had really been dedicated – as John had been dedicated, too – to doing this thing in great fashion together. And we had done that, I thought. And it was really John’s turn. It was his turn to take over. I’d had the lead voice all through that time, and I was really hoping that John could become the general manager of the club and run it.
“And if we could do that and we could figure out a way to get out of that, we did. … So we just kind of agreed upon it that if we could work it out, I would support the thought. And that’s kind of how it happened. So it’s a little bit different than maybe how people perceived it. And then John got his chance.”
Carroll then shared a story from the first conversation he had with Schneider back in 2010.
“I told him the first day we ever talked that I was going to help him be the best general manager in the history of professional sports. That was a little lofty, a little lofty at the time,” Carroll said with a laugh. “He’s like 38 at the time. He’s looking at me like, what the heck is this guy saying? But I meant it, really. And so I think that through the time he has developed, it was kind of his turn.”
Carroll also hinted that he and Schneider differed in their views on the best path forward for the franchise.
Since Carroll’s departure, the Seahawks have seen a slew of change – including their decisions to move on from veteran quarterback Geno Smith and star wide receiver DK Metcalf in a pair of blockbuster trades this offseason.
“There were a lot of big changes that were gonna happen and that were gonna have to come,” Carroll said. “And I thought, you know, we might not agree on all of those changes, because I was gonna hang with some guys more than maybe he would at the time. And the changes they made have obviously turned out great. They’ve got a good coach and a good staff and they’re rolling. So more power to ’em.”
Listen to the full conversation with Pete Carroll at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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