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Marshawn Lynch on why Pete Carroll will be great for Raiders

The man dubbed “Beast Mode” knows a little something about playing for the Raiders’ new head coach, and suiting up for the Silver and Black as well.
Aug 22, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll reacts to a play against the Chicago Bears during the second quarter at CenturyLink Field. Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) is at right. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
Aug 22, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll reacts to a play against the Chicago Bears during the second quarter at CenturyLink Field. Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) is at right. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

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He spent 12 seasons in the National Football League with three different franchises. His best days came in the Pacific Northwest, making back-to-back Super Bowl appearances and winning a ring.

Marshawn Lynch’s head coach with the Seattle Seahawks was Pete Carroll. The duo was together for five-plus seasons from 2010-15. Lynch retired in 2026, returned to the league and spent two years with the Raiders. He returned to Seattle in 2019 and had a cup of Starbucks (aka he played in one game).

Speaking of the Raiders, they just hired Carroll to be their fifth head coach since 2021. Over the weekend, on the Get God Pod with Marshawn Lynch & Mike Robinson podcast, the 12-year veteran appeared thrilled for his former head coach. He also had plenty of insight of what to expect from the proven winner.

It’s safe to say that Carroll has his work cut out for him in what is his fourth NFL stop as a head coach. Before his days in Seattle, he was the sideline leader for the New York Jets (1994) and New England Patriots (1997-99). Trying to resurrect the Raiders from their current state of dysfunction may be his biggest challenge to date.

Las Vegas finished dead last in the AFC West with a 4-13 record in 2024—the franchise’s worst showing since finishing 3-13 in 2014. The team failed to win a divisional contest in ’24. The club has not won a division title and playoff game since 2002. In fact, since 2003, the Raiders’ lone playoff appearances in the last 22 seasons came in 2016 and 2021.

The AFC West now houses head coach Andy Reid, Jim Harbaugh (a longtime rival of Carroll’s), Sean Payton, and Carroll. All four have taken at least one franchise to a Super Bowl, and Carroll, Reid, and Payton have NFL titles.

Let the games begin.

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Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.