Going into the 2024 offseason, Pete Carroll held the title for being the oldest coach in the NFL, but that won't be the case going forward after the Seahawks surprisingly decided to part ways with their longtime coach on Wednesday.
With Carroll out, Bill Belichick became the oldest coach in the NFL, but he held the title for less than 24 hours before parting ways with the Patriots on Thursday.
The fact that Carroll (72) and Belichick (71) still held a head coaching job at their age was somewhat surprising and that's because it's not something you normally see in the NFL. Carroll and Belichick are two of only five coaches in NFL history have coached a game after turning 70.
Of the 32 coaches who started the 2023 season, only six of the them were even older than 60.
Carroll and Belichick both coached for so long that they're now in the record book as two of the five oldest people to ever coach a game in NFL history. Carroll was 72 years and 114 days old on Jan. 7 when the Seahawks beat the Cardinals in their regular-season finale, which makes him the fourth-oldest coach ever. Belichick is right behind him at fifth.
Here's a look at how old the five oldest coaches were then they coached their final NFL game:
- Romeo Crennel (Texans interim coach): 73 years, 199 days
- George Halas (Bears): 72-318
- Marv Levy (Bills): 72-139
- Pete Carroll (Seahawks): 72-114
- Bill Belichick (Patriots): 71-266
With Carroll and Belichick now out, that means Andy Reid will be taking over as the oldest coach in the NFL. The Chiefs coach is 65 and will be turning 66 in March. That being said, the title of oldest coach will go back to Belichick if he gets hired for a job for the 2024 season.
With that in mind, here's a look at the current list of the oldest coaches in the NFL (We're only listing coaches who are at least 60).
- Andy Reid, 65 (Chiefs) -- March 19, 1958
- John Harbaugh, 61 (Ravens) -- Sept. 23, 1962
- Mike McCarthy, 60 (Cowboys) -- Nov. 10, 1963
- Todd Bowles, 60 (Buccaneers) -- Nov. 18, 1963
- Sean Payton, 60 (Broncos) -- Dec. 29, 1963
Belichick and Carroll are two of the only five coaches in NFL history who have coached a game after turning 70 and it's unlikely we'll see too many others join that club. Reid certainly has the best shot, but everyone else on this list would have to coach for another decade, which won't be an easy thing to do in an NFL that stands for Not For Long when you don't have continued success.
