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The San Francisco 49ers are in the midst of a crucial search for a new defensive coordinator, and one name recently floated is none other than former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, according to The San Francisco Standard‘s Tim Kawakami
The 73-year-old coach, who spent 14 seasons in Seattle before stepping down in January 2024, has a wealth of experience running some of the most effective defenses in the NFL.
Former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh is considered the favorite for the vacant defensive coordinator position, but he is currently in the running for the open Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching job. If Saleh lands in North Florida, the question becomes: where will the Niners pivot?
“I’ve heard that Carroll’s name has come up inside 49ers HQ as an interesting idea, at least,” Kawakami noted.
Another potential hurdle for the Carroll-to-the-Bay connection is Las Vegas’ interest in Carroll as their next head coach.
Carroll is considered “the Raiders’ top option” for their head coaching vacancy, according to an article in The Athletic. Carroll has already interviewed with the Raiders, along with Saleh and former Washington head coach Ron Rivera, and a decision is expected there soon.
“Carroll’s conversations with Las Vegas are strong indicators that Carroll is quite interested in getting back into the NFL in some way,” Kawakami says in his column. “Also, he and Kyle Shanahan have mutual respect from their days going up against each other and Carroll is one of the original architects of what’s known, because of Carroll, as the “Seattle Style” defense — the 4-3, Cover 3 defensive scheme Shanahan has always chosen for the 49ers.”
Carroll isn’t a stranger to San Francisco. In fact, he served as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator from 1995 to 1996 under then-head coach George Seifert. His time in the role helped set the stage for a long and successful career, including his later work with the New England Patriots and the Seahawks.
It’s his time with Seattle, though, that really cemented his reputation as one of the league’s top defensive minds. Most notably, Carroll was partially the architect of the famed “Legion of Boom” — a vaunted Seahawks defense in the early 2010’s that consisted of such stars as Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Brandon Browner, Walter Thurmond and Byron Maxwell. The group helped lead Seattle to three division titles, two NFC Championships, and a championship in Super Bowl 48.
One of the biggest selling points for bringing Carroll to San Francisco would be his ability to motivate, something the team has struggled with in recent years under previous defensive coordinators Steve Wilks and Nick Sorensen.
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