Potential coaching staff hires for Pete Carroll

The first item on Pete Carroll’s to-do list with the Las Vegas Raiders is to assemble his coaching staff.

With interim offensive coordinator Scott Turner and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s statuses still up in the air, the door is open for Carroll to make sweeping changes with the staff and adjust it to his liking.

The Raiders will consider some in-house options, such as defensive line coach Rob Leonard, but odds are strong that Carroll will use his connections to bring quality options in.

Who the Raiders select as their coordinators will help provide further insight into who Carroll and the team might hire to fill out the positional coaches.

Here are four such coordinator options with connections to Carroll that the Raiders will be interested in looking into:

Ken Norton Jr., Washington Commanders linebackers coach

As far as Carroll’s former defensive coordinators are concerned, options are somewhat lessened with Dan Quinn as head coach of the Commanders and Gus Bradley enduring rough stints with the Los Angeles Chargers and Indianapolis Colts.

With lengthy experience as both a coordinator and position coach under Carroll, Norton should likely be considered to having the inside track as Carroll’s defensive coordinator.

If Norton returns to the Raiders, it will actually be his second stint as the team’s defensive coordinator. Joining the team after serving as linebackers coach in Seattle, Norton was the coordinator for the then-Oakland Raiders from 2015-17.

After that, he returned to Seattle to work under Carroll as his defensive coordinator, serving in that capacity from 2018-21.

He resurfaced in the NFL this year as a member of Quinn’s staff in Washington, returning to his old position of linebackers coach.

As one of the candidates most familiar with Carroll, Norton has a great chance to return to the Raiders.

Clint Hurtt, Philadelphia Eagles defensive line coach

If the Raiders are not looking at a returning option like Norton, Carroll does have another option at defensive coordinator to look into in Hurtt.

Hurtt served a number of positions with the Seahawks during his tenure there, joining them from the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017 as defensive line coach. He guided Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett to Pro Bowl seasons, as well as assisting in the development of Frank Clark.

In 2018, Carroll trusted Hurtt enough to name him as assistant head coach, a title he held until 2021.

After Norton’s departure, Hurtt stepped in as defensive coordinator, a position he held until Carroll left in 2023.

Hurtt is currently defensive line coach of the Eagles, and his development of players there has continued to be impressive. Pending free agents Josh Sweat and Milton Williams are set for huge paydays with Hurtt’s guidance, and Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith have continued to emerge as defensive tone-setters.

Hurtt could work wonders with Maxx Crosby and a slew of young pass rushers in Las Vegas, making him a desirable candidate.

Darrell Bevell, Miami Dolphins offensive pass game coordinator/quarterbacks coach

On the offensive side of the ball, Carroll will likely look towards Bevell as his offensive coordinator of choice, and for good reason.

Bevell was hired in 2011 by the Seahawks after his exemplary work with the Minnesota Vikings, particularly with running back Adrian Peterson.

He was the offensive coordinator for the Seahawks’ two Super Bowl appearances, as well as playing a significant role in the development of quarterback Russell Wilson.

Since departing from Seattle in 2017, Bevell has had stints as offensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars, including serving as interim head coach for both teams.

He has worked with the Dolphins for the past three seasons now, developing quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and building one of the league’s best deep passing attacks with wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Bevell’s experience as offensive coordinator, particularly with Carroll during the Seahawks’ peak, will put him in heavy consideration.

Sanjay Lal, Los Angeles Chargers wide receivers coach

Lal is a relatively recent Carroll connection, but his exemplary work should have him considered as a dark horse candidate for his next offensive coordinator.

Similar to Norton, Lal is a former Raiders coach in his own right. From 2007-11, Lal was in Oakland working with the wide receivers.

After bouncing around the league in the same capacity, Lal landed in Seattle in 2020 as a senior offensive assistant, then returned to the team as wide receivers coach in 2022-23.

During Lal’s time in Seattle, wide receiver DK Metcalf had three 1,000 yard seasons, including two trips to the Pro Bowl.

Lal joined the Chargers this offseason, guiding rookie receiver Ladd McConkey to a 1,000-yard season and developing maligned first-round pick Quentin Johnston into a serviceable receiving option.

Lal has been around the league long enough to warrant a look, and his stints with various teams around the league has given him plenty of insight to work with.