Interestingly, this move places Carroll in the AFC West, where he will regularly face off against another familiar foe, former 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, now leading the Los Angeles Chargers.
At 74 years old when the 2025 season begins, Carroll will become the oldest head coach in modern NFL history. His extensive resume includes serving as the defensive coordinator for the New York Jets (1990–1993) and the 49ers (1995–1996) before landing his first NFL head coaching job with the New England Patriots in 1997.
Carroll also had a dominant run in college football as the head coach of the USC Trojans from 2001 to 2009 before returning to the NFL to lead the Seahawks from 2010 to 2023.
While the 49ers appear to be gearing up to reunite with their former defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh, Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard reported that there were at least internal discussions in Santa Clara about offering Carroll the role if Saleh landed a head coaching job elsewhere.
Carroll was also linked to other coaching opportunities. He spoke with the Chicago Bears about their head coaching vacancy, which ultimately went to Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. There were even reports of informal talks with the Dallas Cowboys about their head coach position.
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