Why Raiders coach Pete Carroll is still ‘bringing it' every single day

New York Times

2 days ago

HENDERSON, Nev. — Every member of the Las Vegas Raiders gathered together in a tight circle Sunday morning following practice, with head coach Pete Carroll pushing orders from the middle.
Then, from deep inside the scrum, a football soared straight into the air, followed by two players' rising hands until one victoriously swatted it back into the mosh pit. Carroll had orchestrated a competitive jump-ball drill between two players who had gotten into a shoving match earlier in practice. They went three rounds, and the entire team whooped and hollered the whole time.
'After you have a jump ball,' Carroll smirked, 'you can't be mad anymore.'
The 73-year-old coaching legend emerged, somewhat surprisingly, from a quiet year of reflection to take over the Raiders. When Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks parted in 2024, those close to him believed he still had ample coaching years left in the tank, although no one really knew how he'd play it.
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As it turned out, Carroll wanted some time to himself before determining the desire was very much still alive.
'I had to let the dust settle a little bit and get a feel for what that was like being out (of the league),' Carroll told The Athletic recently. 'Once that cleared, the pursuit of the passion was too obvious.'
With Carroll, the passion is understood. He went 181-131-1, including the playoffs, while coaching the New York Jets, New England Patriots and Seahawks over 18 seasons, highlighted by a victory in Super Bowl XLVIII. He also led USC to a 97-19 record with two national championships, one of which was later vacated.
Carroll, who will become the oldest head coach in NFL history this season, has thrived throughout his career with sharp charisma and an unmatched ability to maintain a high level of excitement in the building. Of course, his defensive acumen has always been an asset, as well.
It was all so clear with the jump-ball competition. It was simple on the surface, but it served as a perfect way to give the players a charge as they pushed through the grind of training camp.
Such things are a daily occurrence around here, even if it's in the form of a now-routine transitional practice period when the players bound over blocking pads as coaches and trainers jump around with heavy bags, swinging ropes and yelling as Rage Against the Machine blared in the background. It was a quick stretching drill that looked more like a scene from 'Mad Max: Fury Road.'
With the Patriots, there were stories of Carroll canceling practice and packing the players onto buses with kegs on their way to bonding events. With the Seahawks, Carroll opened the mornings with 3-point shooting contests. And to be sure, there are likely thousands of other comparable examples.
'I only know one way to do it,' Carroll said. 'I'm not doing anything different than I did when I was coaching at (Pacific) a million years ago. I'm just having fun coaching and making sure I affect as many people as I can. … I can't ask them to go if I'm not going, so I bring it every day.'
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But what is Carroll's pursuit?
He's tied for 17th with 170 regular-season victories and is one of three coaches to win both a national championship and Super Bowl. Carroll, who turns 74 in September, has a secure legacy and could have kicked up his feet in retirement without anyone batting an eye.
Carroll just isn't much of a feet-up kind of guy.
'You're either competing or you're not,' he said. 'I just like battling. I like competing. That's exactly what it is. The passion was alive and well. In chasing it, we wound up here with the Raiders.'
Carroll's challenge in Las Vegas is real. The Raiders finished 4-13 last season, their worst record in a decade, and they haven't won a playoff game since 2002. They've fired three general managers and three head coaches since 2021, so the roster will need quite a bit more time to be constructed under the vision of Carroll and GM John Spytek.
Carroll is ready to compete, though. He was rarely far from a football field during his year off, watching games from junior varsity in high school to the NFL, where he has plenty of friends with various teams.
His son, Raiders assistant quarterbacks coach Nate Carroll, was with the Carolina Panthers in 2024. His other son, Raiders offensive line coach and run game coordinator Brennan Carroll, was at the University of Washington. Naturally, Pete Carroll had rooting interests from coast to coast.
Go figure, a football lifer like Carroll even found new ways to appreciate the game while he was between jobs.
'There are a million (ways),' Carroll said. 'I'll give you an example about effort, how hard guys play the game or how hard they don't play the game. Snaps last about six or seven seconds. It's not that long to strain. I watched it from the kids all the way through into the league. They don't play as hard as they could. I made it a real emphasis for us in this camp and with this team. … We're going to play as hard as we're capable.'
Let's get it! #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/kp7mgR3mzq
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) July 23, 2025
Not that Carroll has ever lacked for energy, but his message has backing. He's still running around the field as much as possible, putting his arm around a cornerback's shoulders while giving a lesson about the previous play or darting up to a tight end to slap his chest after a nice adjustment led to a quality catch.
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Carroll most certainly still looks like himself on the field.
'It made it a really successful offseason because I could see things differently than I'd seen them before. You have to get away,' Carroll said. 'I tried to make this a really profitable year, as well. I feel like it's been invigorating. You see things a little differently. You have a clear mind.'