Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick are making history of sorts Sunday night, as they combine for the oldest age of head coaches ever in an NFL game, but it might not be the last time they meet on the sidelines. Belichick, 68, who took over for Carroll as New England's coach 20 years ago, shows no signs of slowing down and is intent on winning football games without long-time quarterback Tom Brady. And Carroll, 69, spoke this week about wanting to coach well into his 70s.
The Seahawks are working to secure just that proposition, sources said, with the "wheels beginning to turn" on a new contract that would keep him in Seattle well beyond this season.
Carroll has one year left on his current deal, and while the Seahawks' ownership is in some long-term doubt after Paul Allen passed away, league sources said the team is likely at least three years from going to market and Carroll is in line for another extension before then given the exemplary record he has posted. Andy Reid, 62, signed a new six-year deal with the Chiefs this summer, and extensions of that length have become more commonplace for coaches in recent years in the aftermath of Jon Gruden's record 10-year pact with the Raiders.
The Seahawks have been a playoff fixture under Carroll, losing one Super Bowl in heartbreaking fashion to the Patriots in addition to blowing out Denver to secure the franchise's first Lombardi Trophy. Carroll and general manager John Schneider have become one of the most successful tandems in the NFL since taking over the franchise in 2010.
Under the NFL's current scheduling format, the Patriots and Seahawks would next meet in the regular season in 2024, though they could potentially have a Super Bowl rematch before then.
