Bill Belichick is no longer in this year’s NFL coaching cycle, but another Super Bowl-winning head coach could be.
Pete Carroll, who led the Seahawks to the franchise’s lone Super Bowl title back in 2012, is eyeing a return to the sidelines in 2025 and has expressed interest in the Chicago Bears’ head coaching position, according to ESPN.
Carroll parted ways with the Seahawks in January following a 14-year partnership. He alluded to a possible return to coaching when he was asked about his future back in August.
“Well, you know, I get asked a lot, so I’m pretty familiar with answering that I could coach tomorrow,” the 73-year-old Carroll said at the time. “I’m physically in the best shape I’ve been in a long time. I’m ready to be ready to do all the activities that I’m doing and feeling really good about it. I could, but I’m not desiring it at this point.”
Carroll’s career as it currently stands will undoubtedly receive consideration for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the very near future.
During his 18 years as an NFL head coach, Carroll won 58.6% of his games. He won 60.6% of his games in Seattle, a run that included the franchise’s first Super Bowl win, two NFC championships, five division titles and 10 playoff appearances. Carroll also has the distinction of being just one of three head coaches to win a national championship and a Super Bowl.
Technically, Carroll is still employed by Seattle as an advisor, but he recently said he hasn’t had any recent communication with the team’s brass.
“I really haven’t. I haven’t talked to those guys, at all,” Carroll said earlier this year, via the News Tribune. “I ran into [Seahawks head coach] Mike [Macdonald] in the parking lot one day, and it was a great chance, just the two of us alone, to say hey and kind of get greeted — and on we go.
“I have not had much to do with them in any way. And really I just watched some of the [preseason] games a little when I see him on TV. I’m not paying that much attention to it.
“It just feels like it’s the right thing to do to let them go.”
The Bears parted with Matt Eberflus after Chicago’s 4-8 start to the 2024 season. The Bears are currently 4-11 and will miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. Despite its poor record, Chicago has several promising pieces in place that includes rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, a deep receiving corps and a defense that is third in the NFL in red zone efficiency.
Carroll will have some competition. His chief competition appears to be Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who is reportedly “intrigued” by the Bears’ head-coaching post.
Read the full article here
