Old habits die hard, and new Raiders coach Pete Carroll got a firsthand reminder Thursday night.
With Las Vegas playing the Seahawks in the team’s preseason opener, the former Seattle head man admitted that, on a few occasions, he forgot he was now coaching a different team.
“There were a couple times guys made plays and I’m looking at the screen in the end zone, and I thought it was our guys making plays,” Carroll said after a 23-23 tie at Lumen Field.
Carroll spent 14 seasons coaching the Seahawks from 2010-23, and won a Super Bowl with the franchise in 2014.
So it was understandable that the 73-year-old had a few moments of confusion, since he’s looked up at that same video board at Lumen Field on countless occasions.
Carroll compiled a 137-89-1 record during his time in Seattle, making him the winningest coach in franchise history before the team fired him after the 2023 campaign.
Before the game, the coach was seen reuniting with old friends on the field, including Seahawks players Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jake Bobo and Drew Lock.
“It was cool to be here. I loved it here,” Carroll said. “But it didn’t translate to something crazy for me. It was just an opportunity to play in a great setting. Thanks to the league for putting us in this game. They figured it out, it was a good idea, and it’s been a good one to look forward to.”
Carroll had a long string of coaching jobs before he arrived in Seattle, including one season as Jets head coach (1994), three years as Patriots head coach (1997-99) and nine years as the head coach of USC (2001-09).
He’s hoping to help the rebuilding Raiders turn a corner after three consecutive losing seasons, which culminated in last year’s brutal 4-13 record.
Las Vegas opens the season on the road against the Patriots.