Team Announces Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll is Out

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has seen his team go from back-to-back Super Bowl appearances to last place this season, although there's still time for a comeback. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Longtime Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll will no longer be the head coach of the team, the Seahawks announced Wednesday.

It was announced Wednesday that Mr. Carroll, who won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks in 2014, and the team “mutually agreed” for him to become an adviser in the organization.

“After thoughtful meetings and careful consideration for the best interest of the franchise, we have amicably agreed with Pete Carroll that his role will evolve from Head Coach to remain with the organization as an advisor,” Seahawks owner Jody Allen said in a statement. “Pete is the winningest coach in Seahawks history, brought the city its first Super Bowl title, and created a tremendous impact over the past 14 years on the field and in the community.”

“His expertise in leadership and building a championship culture will continue as an integral part of our organization moving forward,” he said, adding that Mr. Carroll, 72, will “always be a beloved member of the Seahawks family.”

The move comes after the Seahawks finished 9–8 and missed the playoffs for the second time in three years. With the Seahawks, Mr. Carroll went 137–89–1 over 14 seasons, and was the most successful coach in the team’s franchise history.

Mr. Carroll also had coaching jobs with the New York Jets and New England Patriots before becoming the University of Southern California (USC) head coach. Years later, led the Seahawks to two Super Bowl appearances but never went far in the playoffs after those two seasons

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The move to part ways with Mr. Carroll may have come as a surprise to him. On Monday, the now-former head coach told Seattle Sports 710 AM that he “plan[s] to be coaching this team.”

“I told you that I love these guys, and that’s what I would like to be doing and see how far we can go. I’m not worn out. I’m not tired. I’m not any of that stuff. I need to do a better job, and I need to help my coaches more, and we need to do a better job of coaching, and there’s a lot of area of improvement,” he added.

H added:  “The roster changes, all kinds of things change. That’s just getting better and trying to groove it so you can get as good as you can possibly get. That’s what those meetings are all about.”

This week, there were rumors that the Seahawks may be looking to hire Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who had served the same role for the Seahawks, as the team’s head coach. Neither the team nor Mr. Quinn have commented on those claims.

Other Moves

The move comes as several coaches this week were fired on Monday. The Atlanta Falcons parted ways with head coach Arthur Smith, and the Washington Commanders fired Ron Rivera hours later.

Three other head coaches were fired in the middle of the season, including Carolina Panthers’ Frank Reich, Los Angeles Chargers’ Brandon Staley, and the Las Vegas Raiders’ Josh McDaniels.

There has also been speculation that the Patriots may part ways with head coach Bill Belichick, who won six Super Bowls with the team, after a dismal 4–13 season.

“I’m under contract. I’m going to do what I always do, which is every day I come in, work as hard as I can to help the team in whatever way I can,” he told reporters on Monday, according to media outlets.

But the coach on Monday did not provide any insight on whether the team would fire him after the end of the season if he posted a losing record.

“I learned [a] lesson from my dad growing up—you work for the team that you’re working for and do the best you can for it, until somebody tells you different. So that’s not going to change,” Mr. Belichick said.