Third team reportedly talks to Pete Carroll about being head coach
Jan 23, 2025, 2:43 PM
Another day, another report about an NFL team considering Pete Carroll for an opening on the sidelines.
And this one is a whopper.
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Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Thursday that Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones has had an “informal” conversation with Carroll about Dallas’ head coach vacancy, and that “the interest is legitimate enough to be reported.”
Here’s where things get juicy.
It was reported earlier Thursday by Clarence Hill of All City DLLS that the Cowboys and current offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer were expected to “cross the finish line” on a deal making him the head coach Thursday or Friday.
Schottenheimer and Carroll have history, as Schottenheimer was the Seahawks’ OC from 2018-20 – until Carroll fired him. And now there’s a chance the 73-year-old Carroll could swing in and prevent the 51-year-old Schottenheimer from being hired to a head coaching position for the first time in his career.
That would sting.
Carroll, who coached the Seahawks to a combined 187-89-1 record with two Super Bowl appearances and the only championship in team history over 14 seasons, has interviewed this winter for head coach roles with the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders. The Bears have since hired Ben Johnson while the Raiders’ vacancy remains. It was also reported Wednesday by Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard that the 49ers were considering reaching out to Carroll about becoming their defensive coordinator.
As one might expect, there’s been a lot of drama around the Cowboys’ head coach position this offseason. After a period of uncertainty, the notoriously unpredictable Jones decided not to bring back Mike McCarthy after his five-year contract ended at the end of the 2024 season. He has reportedly talked to a number of names about the role including Schottenheimer, former Jets coach Robert Saleh, and – of course – current Colorado coach and former Cowboys star Deion Sanders. A few people with local ties have also been in the mix: Seahawks assistant Leslie Frazier as well as Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who hails from Prosser, Wash.
With all that being said, seeing Pete Carroll and Jerry Jones pair up has to be the most fascinating potential outcome. It sure wouldn’t be boring in the Big D.
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