Pete Carroll's love of football shines in heartwarming response to deep question

Pete Carroll is entering his first year as Las Vegas Raiders head coach in 2025, but the 73-year-old has been a coach in the NFL for 25 years, including 19 as a head coach.

Carroll has a tall task ahead of him, as he will be looking to turn around a Raiders franchise that posted a 4-13 record in 2024 and has made the playoffs just one time in the last eight seasons. However, it's clear that Carroll still loves football.

When asked about where his joy for the game comes from, Carroll gave a lengthy answer, stating that he loves playing, but is also excited for the future in Las Vegas.

"I love what we're doing," Carroll said when asked about his joy and being the Raiders head coach via Taylor RochaTV on X. "I love being a part of it. It's been everything you could hope for as a coach. Guys are responding, and we're practicing really well.

We've got dreams and visions that we're sharing for what's coming up. To see guys ascend and see the whole group come together and the culture of that, it's an exciting challenge to be part of. I feel really fortunate to be doing it."

Carroll took a year off from coaching in 2024 after being fired by the Seattle Seahawks at the end of the 2023 campaign.

During his 14 seasons as Seattle's head coach, Carroll led the Seahawks to 11 winning seasons, 11 playoff wins, and two Super Bowl appearances, including a win over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Carroll will now be looking to translate that winning formula to Las Vegas. The Raiders completely overhauled the franchise this offseason. Along with hiring Carroll, they brought in John Spytek to replace Tom Telesco as general manager.

The team will also have a new starting quarterback in Geno Smith, who spent four seasons in Seattle with Carroll and won the AP Comeback Player of the Year award in 2022.

Las Vegas isn't expected to be a high-level team in a stacked AFC in 2025, but Carroll should be able to steer the squad in the right direction and bring some winning football back to the storied franchise.