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If wisdom truly does come with age, then the Las Vegas Raiders are going to have the smartest head coach in the NFL in 2025. When Pete Carroll takes the field against the New England Patriots -- a team that once fired Carroll -- in Week 1, he'll officially become the oldest head coach in NFL history. 

When Carroll coached his final game with the Seattle Seahawks in 2023, he was 72 years old and 114 days, which made him the fourth-oldest person to ever coach in an NFL game. The Raiders' opening game against the Patriots is kicking off on Sept. 7, a day when Carroll will be just eight days shy of turning 74 (His birthday is Sept. 15). 

There have only been five coaches to make it pass the age of 70 in NFL history. 

Here's a look at how old the five oldest coaches were when they coached their final NFL game or in Carroll's case, when he coached his most recent game: 

  1. Pete Carroll, Seahawks: 73 years, 357 days days (Sept. 7, 2025)
  2. Romeo Crennel, Texans interim coach: 73 years, 199 days (Final game: Jan. 3, 2021)
  3. George Halas, Bears: 72 years, 318 days (Final game: Dec. 17, 1968)
  4. Marv Levy, Bills: 72 years, 139 days (Final game: Dec. 20, 1997)
  5. Bill Belichick, Patriots: 71 years, 266 days (Final game: Jan. 7, 2024)

Not only is Carroll the oldest coach, but he's also the oldest active coach and no one is close to breaking his record. Chiefs coach Andy Reid is the only NFL coach who's even within five years of turning 70. 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). 

  1. Pete Carroll, 73 (Raiders) -- Sept. 15, 1951
  2. Andy Reid, 66 (Chiefs) -- March 19, 1958
  3. John Harbaugh, 62 (Ravens) -- Sept. 23, 1962
  4. Todd Bowles, 61 (Buccaneers) -- Nov. 18, 1963
  5. Jim Harbaugh, 61 (Chargers) -- Dec. 23, 1963
  6. Sean Payton, 61 (Broncos) -- Dec. 29, 1963

In a twist, the youngest coach in the NFL is the man who replaced Carroll in Seattle, Mike Macdonald, who is 38.

As for Carroll, the Raiders will be fourth NFL team that he has coached. His head coaching career started in 1994 with the New York Jets, a spot where he only lasted one season. In 1996, he was hired by the Patriots, but New England dumped him after three years on the job. Carroll then headed to the college ranks for more than a decade, before making his return to the NFL with the Seahawks' job in 2010. Carroll made it to two Super Bowls with one win during his 14 seasons in Seattle.