Pete Carroll is staying in the Emerald City for the long haul.
The Seattle Seahawks signed the head coach to a multi-year extension through 2021 on Monday afternoon. Carroll will earn more than $11 million per year, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the league, a source told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
"I am excited to announce that we have extended Head Coach Pete Carroll through the 2021 season," Seahawks chair and trustee of the Paul G. Allen Trust Jody Allen said in a statement. "This will continue the championship culture that we have created in Seattle."
"So grateful to Jody and the organization," Carroll said. "I love this team and couldn't be more proud to represent the 12s."
The winningest coach in team history, Carroll has an 88-54-1 regular-season record and a 9-5 postseason record in Seattle. He has led the Seahawks to two Super Bowls and a victory in Super Bowl XLVIII.
"The organization has been exceedingly good to me, throughout the whole time we've been here," Carroll expressed to The News Tribune on Monday. "And they've continued to take that position, and I couldn't be happier."
The decision to keep Carroll in the building into the next decade comes one sleep after the Seahawks clinched their seventh playoff berth in nine seasons with the 67-year-old coach at the helm.
In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, following an offseason that saw Seahawks stalwarts Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett, Kam Chancellor and Cliff Avril leave the organization, Carroll retooled his staff and coached up a green roster into a bona fide playoff contender.
Old faces were replaced by new faces. Exit offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, enter Brian Schottenheimer. Gone was defensive coordinator Kris Richard, replaced by Ken Norton Jr. Seattle built its new defense around Bobby Wagner and Frank Clark, replacing Sherman with second-year stud Shaquill Griffin and its interior defensive linemen with the likes of Shamar Stephen and rookie Poona Ford. On offense, Chris Carson became the first Seahawks running back to rack up 1,000 yards rushing since that last great Seattle back, Marshawn Lynch. Led by Duane Brown and Justin Britt, the offensive line looks as good as it has in years.
All of that was the work of Carroll and his general manager John Schneider, who signed an extension in 2016 that also keeps him with the club through 2021.
Carroll addressed the difficulties in retooling so quickly this offseason following the Seahawks' monumental win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night.
"There weren't very many people who thought we'd have a chance to be in this position, but the guys in the room did," Carroll told reporters. "Led by the leaders -- Bobby, Russell (Wilson), Doug (Baldwin), Frank, (Jarran) Reed, Tyler (Lockett) -- all those guys would not think anything except that we were going to do something special with this team this year. I know it looked bleak at times and we started terribly. But this is a real statement about leadership. This is a young team and they led those guys to believe in this."
Seattle might be a young team, but for the next three seasons, it will continue to be led by an old man. By the time 2021 comes around, Carroll will be 70 years old. If he finishes out his extension, Carroll will be the first active 70-or-older NFL head coach since Marv Levy coached the Bills in 1997 (72).
All around him in the NFC West, meanwhile, a youth movement is underway. Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan are the minds behind Jared Goff and Jimmy Garoppolo, the league's next generation of stars, in Los Angeles and San Francisco, respectively, while Arizona has found its franchise quarterback in Josh Rosen.
After managing the improbable this season, Carroll, old in age but young at heart, figures to be up to the challenge.
