Raiders land Pete Carroll as new head coach

Former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll becomes emotional while speaking during a media availability after it was announced he will not return as head coach next season, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, at the NFL football team's headquarters in Renton, Wash. Carroll will remain with the organization as an advisor. Photo by Lindsey Wasson / AP

One of the most decorated coaches of the last three decades is coming to Las Vegas.

Pete Carroll has reportedly agreed to become the fifth coach — fourth if excluding interims — since the Raiders moved to Las Vegas in 2020 per a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The 73-year-old former Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and New York Jets head joins general manager John Spytek to form a new power duo at the top of organization.

Carroll has a 181-131-1 total record in 18 NFL seasons including 170 regular-season wins to sit tied for 16^th — along with new divisional rival Broncos coach Sean Payton — all-time in the NFL record book.

But he might be best known for the dynasty he built at Southern California in the early 2000s, which included back-to-back national collegiate championships in 2003 and 2004.

The question will be whether Carroll can maintain the high standard for success he’s set throughout his career going into a season he will start as the oldest coach in NFL history.

Carroll’s coordinator hires will be essential as he’s more of a culture-oriented head coach, not someone regarded as a tactical genius on either side of the ball.

The Raiders top target for their coaching vacancy, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, is more of an offensive wiz who would have handled playcalling duties. But he’s off to the Chicago Bears.

The Raiders also saw two other candidates they interviewed — Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen — head elsewhere in the New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars, respectively.

Carroll let it be known that he badly wanted to get back on an NFL sideline after he and the Seahawks mutually agreed on him stepping down before last season. He made the playoffs in 10 of 14 seasons in Seattle and had winning records in all but two years.

His tenure is best remembered for leading the franchise to a Super Bowl 48 victory in 2014, and then coming yards away from repeating in 2015.

Carroll also interviewed with the Bears this coaching cycle and had an “informal conversation,” per ESPN, with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

But the Raiders quickly emerged as his likeliest landing spot, and Johnson’s commitment to the Bears might have sealed it.

Carroll is expected to sign a three-year contract with a fourth-year option. Given his age, the Raiders could put in a succession plan and deem one of his coordinators the “coach in waiting.”

The Raiders are likely to hold a news conference early next week to introduce both Carroll and Spytek.

This is a developing story. Check back later to lasvegassun.com for more coverage.