How did Pete Carroll's 1st seasons as head coach go in his other jobs?

Vincent Bonsignore, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Jul 5, 2025

Published in Football

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LAS VEGAS — The Raiders have high hopes under coach Pete Carroll, who has a distinguished track record of turning around losing programs in short order.

Can the Raiders expect similar results in his first season in Las Vegas?

A look at Carroll’s first season in his previous four head coaching stops:

New York Jets, 1994

Record: 6-10

Carroll, 43 at the time, had spent four seasons as the Jets’ defensive coordinator when he was promoted after the firing of Bruce Coslet.

In a sign of things to come during his career, Carroll installed a basketball court at the Jets’ facility. He emphasized the importance of nutrition and rest, and scaled back the length of practices to try to preserve his players. All of those things are staples of the modern NFL, but it felt revolutionary at the time.

The Jets began the season 2-0 and were 6-5 when they played the Dolphins with a chance to take over first place in the AFC East. But they lost 28-24 after blowing a 24-6 lead, the first of five straight defeats to end the season.

Shockingly, Carroll was fired after the season.

New England Patriots, 1997

Record: 10-6

The Patriots were coming off a Super Bowl appearance when Carroll took over from Bill Parcells, who left New England over a dispute with ownership regarding personnel control.

After being fired by the Jets, Carroll spent two seasons as the defensive coordinator of the 49ers. He interviewed with the Lions, Rams and Patriots during the 1997 hiring cycle.

The affable Carroll was the polar opposite of the stern, hard-driving Parcells. That did not land well with the veteran players on the Patriots, many of whom adored Parcells.

Nevertheless, the Patriots looked dominant by winning their first four games, outscoring opponents 130-40. But their Week 5 bye broke up the momentum and set the stage for a 1-4 stumble.

Carroll and the Patriots ended up winning five of their final seven games to win the AFC East. They did it behind an offense and defense that ranked in the top 10 in the NFL, young quarterback Drew Bledsoe and running back Curtis Martin.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Patriots beat the Dolphins 17-3. But the Steelers then ended the Patriots’ season in a 7-6 victory.

USC, 2001

Record: 6-6

USC, one of the nation’s most storied programs, had fallen into a rut by the end of the 1990s. But Carroll wasn’t the Trojans’ first choice after they fired Paul Hackett. Among the coaches who turned down the job were Oregon State’s Dennis Erickson and Oregon’s Mike Bellotti. Even Chargers coach Mike Riley, a former USC assistant, waffled when the Trojans called.

That led USC to Carroll, who sat out the 2000 season after getting fired by the Patriots after the 1999 season.

His hiring was unpopular among USC fans, but Carroll was undeterred. One of his first hires was acclaimed offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who would oversee the Heisman Trophy candidacy of quarterback Carson Palmer and one of college football’s most lethal offenses.

Carroll also began constructing the proverbial recruiting fence around talent-rich Southern California, reeling in top-rated local players such as Winston Justice, Hershel Dennis and Darnell Bing in his first recruiting cycle. That started one of the all-time great recruiting runs in college football history.

It was a struggle initially on the field. After beating San Jose State in the season opener, USC dropped four straight games and five of six.

A late-season surge saw the Trojans reel off four straight wins, including a 27-0 beatdown of crosstown rival UCLA, to finish the regular season 6-5.

USC lost to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl, but it was obvious a change was happening in Los Angeles. The Trojans went 11-2 the next season, including a 38-17 win over No. 3 Iowa in the Orange Bowl. A year later, USC went 12-1 and won the national championship.

Seattle Seahawks, 2010

Record: 7-9

The Seahawks were coming off a 5-11 season when owner Paul Allen offered Carroll full power to run the football department.

Carroll immediately went to work, hiring Packers personnel man John Schneider as general manager. He also retained talented young defensive assistants Gus Bradley and Dan Quinn, who both played huge roles in the development of the Seahawks’ dominant Legion of Boom defense.

Carroll’s first draft was one for the ages, as he plucked offensive tackle Russell Okung, safety Earl Thomas, wide receiver Golden Tate and defensive back Kam Chancellor.

Of the more than 200 transactions Carroll made in that first season, the headliner was trading for Bills running back Marshawn Lynch.

The Seahawks improved by just two games in 2010, but the seven wins were enough to win the NFC West. That meant a home playoff game against Drew Brees and the Saints, whom the Seahawks upset 41-26 in the first round.

They lost to the Bears 35-24 in the second round, but a foundation had been set.

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