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Seattle Seahawks fans might be intrigued by Pete Carroll's return in their Thursday night preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders, but it is just another exhibition for the veteran head coach.
While acknowledging the significance of the matchup, Carroll shrugged off the importance of his return. Carroll is more focused on his inaugural game with the Raiders, which just “happens to be” against the Seahawks.
“It's the only game we got,” Carroll said, via the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “It happens to be Seattle. I loved my time in Seattle, loved the fans and the people we met, and dealt with, and competed with. But it's a game for us.”
Carroll has made multiple stops in his career as a head coach, but none more notable than his time with the Seahawks. After coaching USC for nearly a decade, Carroll became Seattle's next head coach in 2010, a position he held until the 2023 season. During that time, he also served as the team's vice president of football operations.
After consecutive 9-8 seasons and missing the playoffs in 2023, Carroll stepped down from both roles, effectively retiring from coaching. Considering he was the second-oldest coach in the NFL at the time, five months younger than Bill Belichick, few expected to see him back on the sidelines again. Yet, one year away was all Carroll needed to recalibrate before re-entering his name into the 2025 coaching carousel and landing with the Raiders.
The game will also be Raiders quarterback Geno Smith's return to Seattle after he was traded in the offseason. Smith will not play much in the game, but will be present on the sidelines.
Raiders, Seahawks face off in star-studded preseason matchup
Fans do not often go out of their way to watch preseason games, but the Thursday night matchup between the Raiders and Seahawks might be an exception. The game will feature multiple big-name prospects making their NFL debuts, whom fans have high hopes for.
The Raiders will debut rookies Ashton Jeanty, Jack Bech, Dont'e Thornton Jr. and Darien Porter, who are all expected to play significant roles in 2025. Likewise, Seahawks fans will get to watch the opening acts of Jalen Milroe, Elijah Arroyo, Tory Horton, Grey Zabel and Nick Emmanwori, among others.
Although neither team made the playoffs in 2024, both have reasonably high expectations for the 2025 season. Despite going just 4-13 in 2024, the Raiders appear to have a higher standard for themselves following their successful offseason.
