BREAKING: Seattle Seahawks Legend Pete Carroll Out as Head Coach

One of the most established coaches in the NFL is moving into a new phase of his career. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is stepping aside after 14 seasons with the team.

Bombshell: Pete Carroll is out as #Seahawks coach, per sources. pic.twitter.com/TVQLf2mCMZ
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 10, 2024

Pelissero later noted Carroll and the Seahawks are on amicable terms and are planning to work together in a reduced role. Seahawks chair Jody Allen confirmed the news.

Statement from #Seahawks chair Jody Allen, who says the team and Pete Carroll have amicably agreed he will transition into an advisor role. pic.twitter.com/1oLSTJn5hF
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 10, 2024

Before today, Carroll was the oldest head coach in the league at 72 years old. He steps away as unquestionably the greatest coach in franchise history, having led the Seahawks to two of their three Super Bowl berths, including their only win. He's best remembered for his famed "Legion of Boom" defense, which allowed the fewest points in the league for a record four straight seasons from 2012 to 2015. His 147 combined regular season/postseason wins and .606 winning percentage are both franchise records.

Carroll initially rose to superstardom as the head coach for the USC Trojans from 2001 to 2009. Over a remarkable nine-year run, he won two national championships, coached three Heisman Trophy winners, and amassed a 97-19 record. Carroll left the team just as it was set to face sanctions for a series of scandals that occurred during his tenure.

Carroll's departure is a major domino to fall in what is shaping up to be a tumultuous offseason. As of this moment, his Seahawks are the only team with a head coaching vacancy to fill to end the 2023 season with a winning record.

Given Carroll is staying on with the Seahawks as an advisor, it would make sense for the franchise to find some semblance of continuity. A number of former Carroll disciples are in positions of power around the league: Dan Quinn is currently the defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys, Robert Saleh is the head coach of the New York Jets, and Darell Bevell is the quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator for the Miami Dolphins. NFL coaching is a relationships business, and any one of those three would help the Seahawks preserve the culture that Carroll has built.