Pete Carroll at 71 and Nick Saban at 72, and are they both through with coaching?????
Pete Carroll’s Seahawks HC tenure ends
from Pro Football Rumors, with Sam Robinson, and from YardBarker.com/www.yardbarker.com
Shortly after the Seahawks’ season ended, Pete Carroll said he expected to be back on the sidelines for a 15th season with the team. The Seahawks have other ideas. Carroll’s tenure as Seattle’s HC is ending, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.
The NFL’s oldest active HC, Carroll coached 14 years with the Seahawks. It is not certain the Super Bowl-winning leader will be out entirely with the organization, but Schefter reports he will not be back coaching the team in 2024. A day after the Titans’ decision to outright fire Mike Vrabel, the Seahawks have come in with a similarly surprising call. Carroll, 71, has since informed his staff he is out, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reports.
Hired after a wildly successful USC tenure in 2010, Carroll revived his NFL career with the Seahawks. The former Jets and Patriots HC guided the franchise to its apex during the mid-2010s when Carroll coached the team to back-to-back NFC championships and a Super Bowl XLVIII blowout conquest. The Seahawks, however, have drifted off the Super Bowl radar over the past few years. And Carroll’s defenses have not rivaled the Legion of Boom days in a while.
Seahawks owner Jody Allen confirmed Wednesday that Carroll will no longer be in place as head coach. Allen added that the 14-year Seattle leader will remain with the organization in an advisory role. This is similar to how the Buccaneers played it when Bruce Arians stepped down, though that split is believed to have come from Arians. Carroll going from being committed to coaching in 2024 to this lesser role represents a sea change in the Pacific Northwest.
“After thoughtful meetings and careful consideration for the best interest of the franchise, we have amicably agreed with Pete Carroll that his role will evolve from Head Coach to remain with the organization as an advisor,” Allen said in a statement. “His expertise and leadership in building a championship culture will continue as an integral part of our organization moving forward.”
A Dan Quinn-Seahawks reunion could be in the cards. The Cowboys’ DC is expected to be a lead candidate to return to Seattle, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes. Quinn was the Seahawks’ defensive coordinator during their two Super Bowl seasons in the 2010s, replacing Gus Bradley. Quinn, who has been Dallas’ DC for three seasons, also worked as Seattle’s defensive line coach from 2009-10. Quinn, 53, has been selective about his return to a head coach position, bowing out of the past two HC carousels after garnering extensive interest. It would not surprise if he pursued the Seattle gig, given his past with the franchise.
The Panthers, Chargers and Commanders have requested meetings with Quinn, who turned the Cowboys’ defense around quickly. Those clubs now have clear competition, though it remains to be seen which other candidates Seahawks ownership has in mind. But the next era will be unmistakably different. The franchise picked up its first championship and tripled its Super Bowl appearance count under Carroll, whose high-energy style led to him being viewed as one of this NFL period’s defining figures. In an offseason in which Belichick is also expected to go, the NFL will look considerably different by the time teams reconvene for the 2024 season.
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Coaching legend Nick Saban retires, putting Alabama’s future in question
from Eric Smithling, with YardBarker.com/www.yardbarker.com
For the first time in nearly two decades, the Alabama Crimson Tide are on unstable ground.
In a stunning announcement reported by ESPN’s Chris Low, Nick Saban is retiring as Alabama’s head coach.
Nick Saban is retiring, sources tell ESPN. He won six national titles at Alabama.
— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) January 10, 2024
Saban took over as the Tide’s head coach in 2007, leading them to six national titles. He had one of his best coaching performances of his career in 2023, leading a young Alabama team to an SEC title and the College Football Playoff semifinals after a rough start, including a home loss to Texas and an ugly 17-3 win at South Florida.
He finishes his career as a head coach 297-71-1, including a 206-29 record in 17 seasons at Alabama, 26 wins shy of tying the program record set by Bear Bryant (1958-82).
Where do the Tide go from here? ESPN’s Pete Thamel shared a list of potential candidates for the job, each a big name with plenty of past experience.
With no likely internal replacements at Alabama, here’s a quick projected target list. Dan Lanning, Kalen DeBoer, Dabo Swinney, James Franklin, Mike Norvell and Marcus Freeman. All come with complications and big buyouts, as it’s difficult to move entrenched coaches. https://t.co/0K2NWk8CtL
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 10, 2024