After clinching playoff spot, Seahawks give coach Pete Carroll an extension
The NFL’s oldest coach is going to be on the job a while longer.
Pete Carroll, the 67-year-old with endless energy, has done a fine job with the Seattle Seahawks this season. He was rewarded with an extension that will run through the 2021 season. If Carroll coaches for the entire contract, he’ll be on the sideline at age 70.
Seattle is paying Carroll well, too. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said the extension puts Carroll’s salary at $11 million per season.
The Seahawks came into the season with a lot of doubters, having lost multiple superstars over the offseason. While this isn’t Carroll’s best team, it might be his best coaching job.
Pete Carroll has had a fantastic season
The Seahawks clinched a playoff spot with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night. Less than 24 hours later, Carroll’s extension was done.
The Seahawks had a lot of turnover in the offseason, but the constants were Carroll and quarterback Russell Wilson. A great coach-quarterback duo can make a big difference in the NFL, and Seattle is going back to the playoffs after missing the postseason last year. Seattle is 9-6 with a game to go.
While Carroll probably won’t win NFL coach of the year, he deserves consideration. Despite losing players like Michael Bennett, Jimmy Graham, Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Cliff Avril and Earl Thomas to free agency, difficult cuts or injuries, Seattle has just kept on winning.
Carroll is Seattle’s all-time leader in wins
Carroll will always be an icon in Seattle for bringing the Seahawks their first Super Bowl championship. That was part of a great stretch, when the Seahawks had an incredibly deep roster full of stars, with a few Hall-of-Fame-level talents.
This season was a new challenge for Carroll, but he mastered that too. Carroll is the all-time leader in wins among Seattle coaches, with a 88-54-1 record. He has led the Seahawks to the playoffs in seven of his nine seasons. He is firmly established as one of the best coaches in the NFL.
And he’s going to be around a while longer.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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