Pete Carroll's Legendary Run as Seahawks HC Praised by Fans After Shocking Exit

Pete Carroll's long and prosperous tenure as the Seattle Seahawks head coach is now over, team chair Jody Allen announced Wednesday.

The 72-year-old Carroll served as the Seahawks' head coach from 2010-2023, going 137-89-1 along the way. He led Seattle to 12 winning records and 10 playoff appearances in 14 seasons. The bottom never completely fell out under Carroll, either, with the team never finishing worse than 7-10 (2021).

Seattle won five NFC West crowns, two NFC titles and a Super Bowl under Carroll's watch. The Seahawks' "Legion of Boom" era occurred under Carroll, when a superstar secondary led by Richard Sherman dominated the NFL in the early-to-mid 2010s. The apex occurred in 2013, when the Seahawks won the Super Bowl with the league's top defense.

Seattle nearly won back-to-back Super Bowls in 2014 but fell to the New England Patriots after Malcolm Butler's goal line interception in the final minute thwarted a potential game-winning drive.

Carroll's Seahawks never made it back to the Super Bowl, but they still found success and at times managed to exceed expectations. His best work may have come in 2022, when Seattle traded nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson and was widely expected to reside at or near the bottom of the league.

However, Comeback Player of the Year and quarterback Geno Smith helped pilot Seattle to a 9-8 record and a playoff appearance.

Seattle went 9-8 again in 2023, but the team missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker to the Green Bay Packers.

Ultimately, Carroll's time as Seattle's head coach is now over, and he received just praise on social media after news broke.

Carroll isn't going anywhere, though, as he will stay on as an advisor and executive vice president. Former Seahawks defensive coordinator under Carroll (and current Dallas Cowboys DC) Dan Quinn is the hot name to be Seattle's next head coach, per multiple reports.