Pete Carroll has been coaching football since 1973. However, if you ignore his gray hair, most would not realize that he is set to turn 74 years old early in his first season with the Las Vegas Raiders. Pictures and videos from the Raiders' rookie minicamp prove once again that he has the energy of a much younger person.
More than perhaps any other NFL franchise, the Raiders needed a head coach with a resume who could set the foundation of a winning culture. Beyond any technical acumen he has as a leader, setting the culture will be Carroll's primary task for however long he is the team's head coach.
It's not easy to be thinking about who might succeed Carroll before he even coaches a game for the Raiders. However, his being older naturally drives that conversation, with fans already wondering about who might be next.
Raiders insider offers interesting Pete Carroll succession plan
Raiders Insider Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal recently fielded several fan questions. One person asked if the current succession plan for Carroll is currently in the building in Las Vegas.
"The name to watch is his son Brennan," Bonsignore wrote. "Brennan Carroll, 46, is the team’s offensive line coach. He was previously a college offensive coordinator at Arizona and Washington and experienced plenty of success. His time is coming. Don’t be surprised if he gets his shot with the Raiders if everything goes smoothly the next few years."
As Bonsignore said, Brennan Carroll is the Raiders' offensive line coach. This won't be the first time he has worked under his father, having done so for years at both USC and with the Seattle Seahawks.
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However, he has also built his own resume as a coach, splitting four seasons at the University of Miami equally as a tight ends coach and a wide receivers coach. As Bonsignore also mentioned, he served as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Arizona and Washington.
Some people will naturally scream nepotism if Pete Carroll is succeeded as the Raiders' head coach by his son. But get ready for Brennan Carroll to make himself a head coaching candidate over the next few seasons, based only on being a rising star in coaching circles and his own accomplishments.
If he's on that track, the Raiders would be wrong to dismiss him too quickly as a candidate to succeed his father.