Things have been less than ideal with former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll’s return to the NFL. Carroll and Geno Smith’s redemption tour with the Las Vegas Raiders has not gone as planned.
The Raiders 2-10 start is putting Carroll’s future with the Raiders in serious doubt. Carroll has already fired two coordinators during the season, but the legendary coach could be the next to be packing up his office.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Carroll is firmly on the hot seat with the Raiders. There is also speculation that the coach heavily influenced Chip Kelly’s offense prior to his firing.
“(When you) talk to people who know this offense very well,” Rapoport detailed on “NFL GameDay Morning” on November 30, 2025. “People who’ve studied this offense and played against it. They do not believe that it was Chip Kelly’s offense. They believe it was Pete Carroll’s offense, specifically the Pete Carroll offense from Seattle 2023.
“Sounds to me like if Chip had to do this again, (he) would not have taken this job. So what does this all mean?… It means the win-now coach in Las Vegas has not done very much winning at all. Certainly puts Pete Carroll on the hot seat in what has been a difficult, difficult season in Las Vegas.”
The Seahawks’ Decision to Move on From Pete Carroll & Geno Smith Has Aged Well
Carroll will forever be tied to the best era in the Seahawks franchise history, including back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. Yet, Carroll’s stubbornness with his offensive philosophy appears to once again be taking its toll on a new franchise.
Carroll has not been helped by Smith’s play as the former Seahawks quarterback has thrown for 2,532 yards, 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while completing 67.3% of his passes. It remains to be seen whether Carroll’s seat is so hot that the Raiders would fire the coach after just one season.
Back in January, Las Vegas signed Carroll to a three-year contract with a team option for a fourth season, per ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez. As time passes, the Seahawks’ decision to part ways with Carroll and later Smith appears to have aged like fine wine.
Pete Carroll on Seahawks Fans: ‘It Was an Unforgettable Relationship’
General manager John Schneider’s input on Carroll’s future combined with the hiring of head coach Mike Macdonald appeared to be just the jolt the Seahawks franchise needed in 2024. Carroll’s legacy should remain untarnished in Seattle, even as the Seahawks fell from contention towards the end of his tenure. The former Seahawks coach still had back-to-back nine-win seasons in Seattle before things ended.
“And taking that effort to Seattle, we were rewarded so extraordinarily because of the 12s and the way that they love their teams,” Carroll reflected on his time in Seattle at the NFL combine in February, per Seahawks.com’s John Boyle. “So it was an unforgettable relationship.
“And I’m never going to lose connection with them. I just don’t want to. So I’m going to do everything I can to stay connected as much as possible.”
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