Are you ready for Pete Carroll‘s homecoming? This time, it’s the Raiders he’ll be showing the way to. Pete’s done with the Seahawks. He had long moved on, handing over the command to Mike Macdonald. After a disappointing 4-13 season, the Raiders decided it was time for Antonio Pierce to take a break. And so, the team came knocking on Pete Carroll’s door, hoping to tap into his legendary coaching skills. Now, welcome Pete as the new HC of the Raiders. And the oldest one at present.

On Monday, the Raiders held their introductory press conference for their new head coach. And Pete’s former student and NFL player Marshawn Lynch brought all the energy. The 38-year-old crashed the conference, yelling, “RAIDERRSSSS!” at the top of his lungs. Well, Marshawn Lynch’s love and support must have overwhelmed Coach Carroll. Now that the 73-year-old has been brought in to save the team, he didn’t shy away from addressing the elephant in the room: his age. And in true Pete Carroll fashion, the new Raiders’ head coach handled it with a playful twist while also sending a clear message. “I’m not worried about that or concerned about that at all.”

He cracked a joke about rocking a “big 73” like it’s a badge on his back. Pete admitted it didn’t exactly sit right. “I’m a skilled athlete, man. I don’t do the 70s.” Carroll has a pretty impressive résumé. He has been with the Seahawks for 14 years, first as a head coach and then as a senior adviser for about a year. During this time, he led Seattle to their first and only Super Bowl XLVIII win.

And now, as most teams are starting from scratch, Pete’s jumping into the competition right away. Looks like he has a whole game plan mapped out for the Raiders this coming season.

Pete Carroll is going his own way

The Jets, Bears, and Patriots -these teams are talking about building their empire from the beginning. But Pete Carroll’s got no time for that. “I’m just going to do it the way I know how to do it and kick a– in every aspect of it. If we’re fortunate enough to do it.” This will also be the year when the minority owner of the Raiders, Tom Brady, will have a ‘huge’ say in the team’s decisions. Word is, it was Brady who brought in Pete and the new GM, John Spytek.

“It took us a few years to get to the very top of the last couple of programs I was with. We’re starting right now, going forward immediately. We don’t have some time to make it five or six years down the road. That’s not what we’re thinking,” said Pete. This time, the HC has made it clear: it’s going to be all about teamwork. The Raiders are going to ‘lean’ on legendary former QB Tom Brady. Coach Pete, the GM, and Brady will all be working closely. 

But even before they can get into the competition, the Raiders still need to figure out their QB situation. For now, they’ve got Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew, both of whom have struggled. So, it’s unlikely that Pete will start with either of them.