Pete Carroll On Afc West Coaches: I've Got To Play Up To Those Guys

With Pete Carroll joining the Raiders this offseason, the AFC West has the most accomplished division of head coaches in history.

Between Carroll with the Raiders, Andy Reid with the Chiefs, Sean Payton with the Broncos, and Jim Harbaugh with the Chargers, the division has earned a combined five Lombardi Trophies, nine Super Bowl appearances, 20 conference championship appearances, and two national championships at the college level (plus one more from Carroll that was vacated).

The AFC West also has an average head coach age of 65.5 years old.

Carroll was asked about competing against his fellow AFC West head coaches in his Wednesday press conference.

"Isn't that something? Yeah, I think it's great,” Carroll said, via transcript from the team. "If you're going to be any good, you got to beat the best teams. You have to beat them, and so if this division is loaded with that, then that's what's going to make us what we are. And going against Andy, and Sean, and Jimmy down there, it couldn't be any more challenging because these guys are terrific football coaches, and they're going to have a complete team. They're going to bring their kicking game, they're going to bring their run game, they're going to bring their defense, and then they're going to know how to highlight their special players.

“I mean, that's what this league, really, I think dictates. I got to get my act together. I got to play up to those guys.”

Last year, the Raiders were the weak link in the division, finishing 4-13 as the only AFC West club to miss the postseason. Carroll won at least seven games in every season he served as Seattle’s head coach from 2010-2023. We’ll see if he can bring that kind of performance to the Las Vegas desert in 2025.