Seahawks’ Pete Carroll Makes It Clear He Didn’t Want To Leave

When it was announced that Pete Carroll was moving from the role of Seattle Seahawks head coach to that of an advisor, the statement released by the Seahawks made it seem like the decision was mutual.

Well, Carroll has made it clear that it wasn’t.

During his press conference following the announcement on Wednesday, Carroll said he “competed pretty hard to be the coach.”

“My intention to return. … That was true to the bone,” Carroll said, via the Seahawks’ official YouTube account. “I want to make sure that that’s clear as things have shifted so quickly.”

Carroll refused to say whether or not there were differences between him and team chair Jody Allen. He added that he is absolutely not wearing down.

“I’m freaking jacked. I’m fired up. I’m not tired. I’m not worn down,” he said. “It’s the end of the season; I’m supposed to go lay on a cot somewhere. I ain’t feeling like that. What’s coming? I don’t know. I’ve got no idea, and I really don’t care right now.”

The 72-year-old hinted that his old age was part of the reason why Seattle decided to move on from him.

“I realize I’m about as old as you can get in this business,” Carroll said. “There’s coming a time they’ve got to make some decisions. Moving toward the future, if there’s some way that I can add something down the road, we’ll see what happens. But this is a good move for them.”

While Carroll will still be a part of the Seahawks’ organization, it will obviously be in a much different capacity, and he certainly will not be nearly as visible.

In 14 seasons as Seattle’s head coach, Pete Carroll went 147-98-1 with five NFC West division titles. Most importantly, he led the franchise to a Super Bowl championship and two Super Bowl appearances.

The Seahawks went 9-8 and missed the playoffs this year.