Pete Carroll Won’t Return as Seahawks HC in 2024; Will Continue to Work with Team

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The Seattle Seahawks are moving on from Pete Carroll as their head coach, though the franchise indicated in a statement he “will continue as an integral part of our organization moving forward.”

The change comes after Seattle finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who had the same job with the Seahawks in 2013 and 2014, is expected to be a candidate in the Seahawks’ coaching search.

While Carroll’s job didn’t appear to be in imminent danger after the regular season drew to a close, his ouster shouldn’t come as a complete shock.

The Seahawks had yet to advance past the divisional round of the playoffs since winning their second straight NFC title in 2014. And while Seattle overachieved in the first two years after trading away Russell Wilson, the organization had arguably plateaued with Carroll at the helm.

It’s time for a wider reset, and given his age, the 72-year-old Carroll might’ve been equally ready to take a step back. He leaves as the greatest coach in franchise history, owning not only the most wins (137) but also the highest winning percentage (.606), and delivered the Seahawks’ only Super Bowl title to date.

Quinn would be a natural choice to succeed Carroll given his past experience with Seattle. He has also boosted his coaching stock with the Cowboys over the last three years, helping Dallas build one of the NFL’s best defenses.

The 53-year-old also had a .506 winning percentage in six years with the Atlanta Falcons, though his time there is most remembered for them throwing away Super Bowl LI to the New England Patriots.

If the Seahawks ultimately hire Quinn or somebody with a similar profile, it would seemingly point toward more of a retooling rather than an outright rebuild in the Pacific Northwest.