Pete Carroll’s first game as Las Vegas Raiders head coach will come against his former employers the Seattle Seahawks, with all eyes on his return to the Washington state city.
Carroll spent 14 years on the sideline for the Seahawks before moving to Las Vegas earlier this year. As fate would have it, the Raiders' first pre-season game ahead of the 2025 season happens to come at Lumen Field.
Carroll will experience the opposition dugout in Seattle for the first time, but the 73-year-old has moved to downplay the occasion.
“It's the only game we got,” Carroll said via the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “It happens to be in Seattle.”
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However, Carroll insists the main focus will be on building for the Raiders, even if the nostalgia of returning to Lumen Field is hard to ignore.
“I loved my time in Seattle, loved the fans and the people that we met, and dealt with, and competed with,” Carroll added. "But it's a game for us. We're going to go play ball.”
Carroll won’t be the only familiar face returning to Seattle this week, with Geno Smith following the experienced NFL coach to Las Vegas.
Pete Carroll left the Seattle Seahawks in January (Image: Getty)
Geno Smith also set for Seahawks reunion
After contract talks between the Seahawks the Smith broke down, the quarterback opted to trade to the Raiders. And while Carroll has played down the return, Smith has admitted he’s excited at the prospect of facing Seattle.
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“I'm really looking forward to it,” Smith said when asked about facing his former employers at Lumen Field.
“Looking forward to seeing my old teammates. Old coaches. People in the building. It'll be fun. I'm also going back with Pete. That's pretty cool.”
Like Carroll, Smith was able to shine during his time in Seattle, adding: “It’s a place I called home for six years.
“I had a son there. I was able to really just kind of turn my career around.”
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Carroll and Smith have their work cut out
The Raiders endured a tough 2024 season as they failed to make the playoffs in a disappointing campaign.
The Las Vegas-based side finished 14th in the 16-team division, winning only four games and losing 13.
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Only the Cleveland Browns and the Tennessee Titans had a worse record than the Raiders last year.
In addition, the Raiders failed to win any of their games against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Los Angeles Chargers and the Denver Broncos, going winless in the AFC West for the first time in 2006.
Carroll and Smith both have their work cut out as they look to at least help the Raiders to a wildcard spot this season.
The pair will hope to make an immediate impact when they face the Seahawks this week.
Topics: American Football, NFL
Ben McAleer