Pete Carroll will be the oldest head coach in the history of the NFL when this new season begins. But for Carroll, 73 is just a number. The journey that started as a graduate assistant at Pacific (CA) way back in 1973 has culminated into his return this season to take the helm for the Raiders. But when the coach decided to take a step back after his 2023 season with the Seahawks, many believed he had hung up his jacket. But that wasn’t anywhere close to the case.

When the Raiders announced Pete Carroll as their new head coach, the excitement in the league was palpable. After a 4-13 season, Carroll’s competitive fire was just what the team needed to turn things around. And judging by how things are going this offseason, Carroll is already driving the whole team hard. But what was the driving factor that made Carroll take up the headset again for the Raiders? The man himself has spoken up recently.

On the Get Got podcast with Marshawn Lynch and Mike Robinson, Pete Caroll cleared the air on his speculated ‘retirement.’ When asked about it, right off the bat, he cleared the air with a smile, “I never said I retired, man.” Carroll clarified that he was nowhere close to quitting, and after a year of break, he was looking around for opportunities actively. As he further added, “as the middle to the end of the season started rolling around, you know, wheels started turning a little bit and I started making a call here or there just to figure out what was going on.” There was also some interest around him from colleges, as he notably has 9 years with the USC to back up that role.

For Pete Carroll, the love for the game never went away, even as he watched the Seahawks on TV last year. As he spent a year away from the gridiron, looking around for new opportunities, his love for the game only grew stronger. As he notably said, “the more I got around it, the more I felt the passion growing… so I was really, the way I would say it is I was in the pursuit of the passion of this thing, you know, and it’s never been nothing but fun.” While there were a few options on the table, including a return to the NCAA, it was ultimately the Raiders that kicked the passion into high gear for Carroll. And Tom Brady, along with the rest of the Raiders stakeholders, played a big part in making it all happen.

Tom Brady’s role in Pete Carroll’s return

Pete Carroll isn’t the only one who loves the game of football with all his being. Tom Brady has also given his entire life to football. He even recently called football his ‘ikigai’. And when Brady bought into a minority ownership stake with the Raiders, Carroll took notice. As he notably said while talking about joining the Raiders, “when Tom joined up, that really made a difference to me and that kind of shifted my gears a little bit.” As Michael Silver noted recently, Brady’s opinions “held great sway” with the Raiders, and he wasn’t all for signing Sam Darnold with the Raiders. Brady seeing “leadership” and “decision making skills” in Geno Smith was what led to a reunion with his old Seahawks coach this offseason.

But Tom Brady’s influence wasn’t the only thing that swayed Pete Carroll to join the Raiders. After a disappointing season, Mark Davis called for a complete overhaul of the coaching staff. And that led to a lot more excitement for Carroll. As he noted, “when I learned about the ownership that had come on and that Mark had hired, you know, and with his new guys and all that, there was a whole energy about it that really seemed like it fit and they were kind of fired up about me doing it.” With the complete overhaul, there were a few notable names that had added a flair of hope to the Raiders. With new OC Chip Kelly and Chip Beatty as the WR coach, the offence is gearing up for a major shift this new season.

Pete Carroll has also reunited with Matt Capurro as the SVP of coaching operations. Capurro spent 15 years with the Seahawks before shifting to the Raiders to rejoin Carroll. With so many familiar faces and Pete Carroll’s competitive edge, analysts are already loving the changes he’s brought to the team. Will this be enough to flip the script and bring the Raiders to the forefront of the AFC West? We’ll find out once the competition begins.