How History Bounds the Hirings of Raiders' Carroll, Jets' Glenn

The Las Vegas Raiders recently hired Pete Carroll as head coach. The New York Jets hired his former player and very first draft pick for the same team, Aaron Glenn.
Nov 19, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA;  Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll looks on in the first half against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Nov 19, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll looks on in the first half against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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On Friday, it was reported that the Las Vegas Raiders and Super Bowl-winning head coach Pete Carroll agreed to a three-year deal for him to become their next head coach.

Carroll as over 30 years of NFL experience. Just how long is that? His first head coaching gig was with the New York Jets in 1994. His first ever draft pick as head coach? Defensive back Aaron Glenn out of Texas A&M at No. 12 overall.

Over 30 years later, Glenn was just hired as a head coach -- for the Jets. Both Carroll and Glenn, once coach and player, are now contemporaries in the AFC, hired in the same cycle.

Carroll's hiring was touted by CBS Sports' Will Brinson as the right move.

"Rip on his age and his devotion to running the football and playing defense all you want, but Carroll is a guy who wins football games," he wrote. "His steadfast belief in the COMPETE mantra is perfect for the Raiders where they are right now, drifting on the wind in the desert with no real hope for the future. Whoever took this job was walking into a divisional buzzsaw, with Andy Reid, Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh manning the other three franchises in the AFC West. Good freaking luck finding someone with the chops to match up with those guys. Carroll fits the bill in that regard."

Regarding that No. 12 pick, Glenn was the first in a long line of Carroll draft hits. In eight seasons with the Jets, Glenn notched 24 interceptions and was named to three Pro Bowls. Glenn finished with 41 career interceptions following stints with Houston, Dallas, Jacksonville, and New Orleans.

Glenn took a path from defensive backs coach to one of the league's best defensive coordinators for the Detroit Lions, leading Dan Campbell's defense to an NFC title game appearance and NFC North title in 2023 and a 15-2 record, NFC North title and No. 1 playoff seed in 2024.

What Glenn was able to do with the Lions defense despite an insurmountable amount of injuries was nothing short of incredible.

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