It was a staple in many Seahawks fan childhoods to see Pete Carroll on the sidelines of the Seattle Seahawks stadium. Carroll had been with the team since being named head coach on Jan. 11, 2010, until this year, on Jan. 10, 2024 it was announced that he would be stepping down. 

The Seahawks Instagram page released a statement post stating that, “We have amicably agreed with Pete Carroll that his role will evolve from Head Coach to remain with the organization as an advisor.” The post accumulated over 3,000 comments of fans expressing their feelings.

Junior Cash Brown, host of Talkin’ Hawks, a Seahawks-oriented talk show on 88.1 The ‘Burg, shared his thoughts about Carroll’s exit, and how his time in Seattle won’t be quickly forgotten.

“It’s sad to see him go but at the same time it was necessary,” Brown said. “It was time to move on and find somebody else to come take over this roster, but everything that he built in Seattle and the culture that he built in Seattle is gonna stick around.” 

Over the 14 years that Carroll resided in Seattle, in 2013 he led the Seahawks to a franchise-best season record of 13-3 and then guided them to their first Super Bowl title in franchise history in 2014. When the Seahawks won with a score of 43-8 against the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, Carroll joined Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer as the only coaches to win both a college football national title and a Super Bowl in their careers.

Before joining the National Football League, Carroll coached the top-ranked University of Southern California Trojans to its second straight national title in 2004 after a victory over Oklahoma in the Bowl Championship Series game at the Orange Bowl. Only two teams have ever finished a season as the number 1 pick in the Associated Press (AP) preseason rankings. 

A team winning consecutive AP titles was only accomplished ten times. His team finished 13-0 which set a school record for victories, and went 8-0 in the Pac-10. Six Trojans were selected to the All-American first team; another school record.

“It’s been an honor and a thrill to be part of this program, I’ve loved every minute of it,” Caroll said in a statement with the Seahawks. 

With the current football season still underway, the Seahawks still have a lot of time to decide who will step in for Caroll and who can fill his shoes. It is the closing of a long chapter for the Seahawks.