Players, others react to news Pete Carroll is out as Seahawks head coach
SEATTLE — The Seattle Seahawks announced Wednesday that Pete Carroll would no longer serve as the team’s head coach and move into an advisory role.
The move came after Seattle failed to make the playoffs in Carroll’s 14th season coaching the team.
Several former players spoke out immediately following the news.
Former quarterback Russell Wilson called Carroll “one of the greatest ever” and said he was “grateful for the memories” in a post on X/Twitter.
Doug Baldwin, a former Seahawks wide receiver, said the best coaches he’s played for knew that they were also role models and Carroll was one of those coaches.
“I am incredibly grateful for his leadership, his patience, his grace, his commitment and above all, his friendship,” Baldwin wrote in a post on X.
Richard Sherman, who was a cornerback and part of the legendary “Legion of Boom” Seahawks defense, posted a video to his podcast’s YouTube account.
In it, Sherman said he was surprised and had not seen this coming.
“I think he’s the greatest Seahawks coach of all time,” Sherman said. “That’s not to be debated.”
Sherman said the next coach would have big shoes to fill “when a guy has had this much success with an organization and he’s beloved.”
Baldwin, Sherman and Wilson were members of the Seahawks teams that went to back-to-back Super Bowls, winning one against the Denver Broncos.
Carroll had his thanks for the players he’s worked with over the years.
“The NFL is about the players…without those guys doing what they do, there’s nothing,” Carroll said.
A number of current players attended Wednesday’s press conference, including quarterback Geno Smith, linebacker Bobby Wagner, and wide receiver Tyler Lockett.
“To see some of our guys here today, it means the world,” Carroll said of their attendance.
Jimmy Graham, who played for Seattle in 2015, thanked Carroll for his leadership.
“I’ll never forget being wheeled out of a hospital alone at 3 am and seeing you with your wife still waiting to give me a hug,” Graham said.
Justin Britt, who was drafted by the Seahawks in 2014 and played right tackle, thanked Carroll for “taking a chance on me” and “for making football fun day in and day out,” in a post on Instagram.
Seahawks fans across the state are reacting to the news as well.
“Pete’s been the coach ever since I’ve been cognizant pretty much,” said Griffen and Spencer Gonzales, brothers who have been Seahawks fans their whole lives. “It’s always been Pete and we love him, he is the best. Who doesn’t love Pete Carroll? He’s just the best coach you could ask for, hands down.”
The Gonzales brothers, who grew up near Everett, said they were shocked when they found out the news.
“I was sitting there, and I put my head in my hands and I was like, ‘I think I’m going to cry,’” said Griffen Gonzales, a Seahawks fan. “I’m going to miss him. We were just talking about how fun it is to see him running around on the sidelines and doing his thing.”
They said they will miss Pete Carroll’s energy.
“Like those postgame reports where it was, you know, like, ‘Can you win in the first quarter? Can you win in the second quarter? Can you win in the third quarter?’” said Griffen Gonzales. “I looked forward to that every time we won a last second game, which was a lot of them.”
They said despite the loss of Carroll as the head coach, they are hopeful for the future.
“We’re sad, but Go Hawks, man. We’re going to survive this. We’ve got the players, we’ve got the talent. This organization is one of the best in the league. We’re going to be okay,” said Spencer Gonzales. “14 years ago we made the right choice and we are going to have to make another right choice again.”
Other fans said that although Carroll’s time as coach is over, he will be a part of the Seahawks legacy forever.
“We’re still going to love him for sure,” said Felix Brown, a Seahawks fan who works at Pro Image Sports across from Lumen Field. “All the stuff he did to bring us the Super Bowl, he has a spot in all of our hearts for sure.”
Fans like Brown were happy to hear Carroll would be staying on as an advisor for the Seahawks.
“He’s still with the organization so that’s still pretty cool, but not seeing him on the field will be really different,” said Brown.
Other reactions to the Pete Carroll news
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell thanked Carroll for his “positive leadership and standard of excellence.”
Actor and longtime Seahawks fan Rainn Wilson predicted that there would someday be a statue of Carroll in front of Lumen Field “made entirely out of chewing gum!”
Wilson said he had mixed feelings about the move and thanked Carroll for “all the winning seasons” and the Super Bowl win.
This story will be added to as new statements are released.
