Pete Carroll, Raiders linked to Seahawks legend in free agency

After a one-year absence, head coach Pete Carroll is back in the National Football League and will be at the helm of a fourth different team. The Las Vegas Raiders have brought him aboard and they are hoping he can help reverse the franchise’s misfortunes. The Silver and Black haven’t won a playoff game since 2002, and are coming off their worst season (4-13) since finishing 3-13 in 2014.

Carroll brings instant respectability to a club that been nothing short of a disaster for the vast majority of their last 22 seasons. The team has plenty of needs, and owns the sixth overall pick in this April’s draft. The team’s new general manager is John Spytek, who spent the previous nine seasons as a member of the Buccaneers’ front office.

A return to the NFL means speculation and connecting the dots in free agency. There’s already been a lot of discussion regarding quarterback Russell Wilson and Carroll doing a Peaches & Herb in Sin City.

bobby — Dec 13, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll talks to middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) after they stopped Baltimore Ravens on fourth down during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium. Seattle Seahawks defeated Baltimore Ravens 35-6. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Where the Raiders have really struggled for far too long has been on defense. This offseason, former Seahawks’ defensive coordinator Dan Quinn took over the Washington Commanders. The club wasted little time signing veteran free agent Bobby Wagner, who suited up for Quinn in Seattle. He was one factor in Washington’s unexpected resurrection. The Commanders went from 4-13 in 2023 (the Raiders’ win-loss record this season) to the NFC title. However, Wagner signed a one-year deal in 2024, which means he could hit the free-agent market again in mid-March.

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report has connected the dots, and reminds us that Wagner’s release from the ‘Hawks in March of 2022 did not go over well (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson) He signed with the rival Los Angeles Rams that year, and returned to the Seahawks in 2023. That proved to be Carroll’s final season with the team.

The nine-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro would suit up for his fourth team in as many years if he opts to join Carroll in Las Vegas. In 13 NFL seasons, Wagner has never finished with less than 100 tackles, an incredible achievement.

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