Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll is one of the most legendary figures in professional football. His impact goes far beyond the win-loss column; he is a leader of people, both players and staff members.
His coaching tree is vast, as several of his former understudies have gone on to do great things as NFL head coaches.
The most prominent of these men is Dan Quinn, who was the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks when they went to back-to-back Super Bowls in 2013 and 2014. As a head coach, he has led the Falcons to Super Bowl LI and made a deep run with the Washington Commanders in the postseason last year.
NFL hands Pete Carroll early opportunity to take down former assistant
Coming off a red-hot season, the Commanders are now one of the most feared teams in the NFL. Young quarterback Jayden Daniels already looks elite, and the Washington defense has the potential to be great as well.
The NFL schedule was released on Wednesday evening, and Carroll won't have to wait long to face off against his old assistant. The Raiders take on Quinn and the Commanders on the road in Week 3 at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland.
Las Vegas will surely enter the game as underdogs considering the discrepancy in the two teams' records last season. It is a new era for the Raiders, but most see them as a giant question mark, whereas the Commanders have already established themselves.
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This will be the sixth time that Carroll and Quinn face off as head coaches. Carroll has won three of the five matchups, including two straight. The Seahawks and Falcons faced off in the 2016 playoffs, and Quinn got the better of his former boss, but he has only won a single game against Carroll since.
Carroll and the Raiders will certainly be up against it as the Commanders made several upgrades from last year's team that made it to the NFC Championship. However, there is a reason they play they games.
Anything can happen on any given Sunday, and perhaps Carroll, the old dog, still has some new tricks up his sleeve.