Pete Carroll Out As Seahawks Head Coach After 14 Seasons

The Seattle Seahawks icon Pete Carroll is out as a head coach.

In an emotional farewell news conference on Wednesday following the decision, Carroll restated that his intentions to stay with the Seahawks were “true to the bone.” He read from a predetermined statement.

“It’s been an honor and a thrill to be part of this program. And I’ve loved every minute of it. You’ve watched me love it, in particular. And it’s exciting that there’s such a future here, you can see it. And we know what’s happening, it’s bright and the club’s got great places to go, there’s great chances. It won’t ever happen automatically. There’s a lot of work to be done and all of that, but the future is bright.”

The Seahawks intend for Carroll to remain with the team in an unspecified advisory role, although the details are unclear as to what Carroll’s new job would entail. There is a possibility of Carroll shifting to a new coaching position without the Seahawks.

“We’re going to figure that out,” Carroll said, “We don’t really know right now. But I’m grateful for the intention that the organization has to try to find something that makes sense. So we’ll see.”

Carroll joined Seattle in 2010 and has become the winningest coach in franchise history, bringing the program its first Super Bowl title in 2014 and ten total playoff appearances, leaving a tremendous impact. He brought them back to the Super Bowl in 2015 where they lost to the New England Patriots in the final minutes of the game after a devastating interception by Malcolm Butler. This year, the Seahawks ended their season with a 9-8 record, missing out on the playoffs.

The Seahawks don’t have any obvious head coaching candidates on their current staff, so they are expected to join the pool of teams in the search for a new head coach, including the Atlanta Falcons, Washington Commanders, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots and others.

Whoever replaces Carroll will have big shoes to fill.

“I’m freakin jacked, I’m fired up,” Carroll said. “I’m not tired, I’m not worn down. You guys tried your best, you didn’t wear me out. It’s the end of the season, I’m supposed to go lay on the couch somewhere – I ain’t feeling like that. What’s coming, I don’t know. I’ve got no idea and I really don’t care right now, but I’m excited about it because there’s a lot to learn, there’s a lot to study, there’s some great discoveries that are going to come our way.”