Pete Carroll, the head coach who led the Seattle Seahawks to their only Super Bowl title, has been removed from his position and will serve as a team adviser.
The Seahawks announced the news on Wednesday.
“Pete is the winningest coach in Seahawks history, brought the city its first Super Bowl title, and created a tremendous impact over the past 14 years on the field and in the community,” Seahawks owner Jody Allen said. “His expertise in leadership and building a championship culture will continue as an integral part of our organization moving forward.”
Allen said the move came after “thoughtful meetings and careful consideration for the best interest of the franchise.”
On Monday, after the Seahawks narrowly missed the playoffs, Carroll said he wanted to return as head coach next season. He was under contract until the end of the 2025 season.
“I plan to be coaching this team,” Carroll told Seattle Sports 710 AM. “I told you that I love these guys, and that’s what I would like to be doing and see how far I can go. I’m not worn out. I’m not tired. I’m not any of that stuff. I need to do a better job and I need to help my coaches more and we need to do a better job of coaching, and there’s a lot of area for improvement.”
ESPN reported on Wednesday that Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is among Seattle’s targets to succeed Carroll. Quinn was Carroll’s defensive coordinator in the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
The 72-year-old, who was the oldest active head coach in the NFL until Wednesday, had been in charge of the Seahawks since 2010. Propelled by the team’s famous Legion of Boom defense, Seattle were one of the dominant franchises of the early 2010s and reached the Super Bowl in the 2013 and 2014 seasons, winning in 2013. They also reached the playoffs in 10 of Carroll’s 14 seasons in charge although some believe they should have won more than one Super Bowl with their strong defense and quarterback Russell Wilson in his prime. Carroll received particularly strong criticism for his decision to pass the ball on the goalline in the final moments of Super Bowl XLIX instead of handing the ball to All Pro running back Marshawn Lynch. Wilson was subsequently intercepted and the New England Patriots won the title.
Carroll also had stints as head coach of the Patriots and New York Jets. He had a successful career in college football with USC, with whom he won two national titles.
Carroll is one of only three head coaches to have won a Super Bowl and a college football National Championship, alongside Barry Switzer and Jimmy Johnson.
