Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has yet to be asked a point-blank, direction question regarding his job security. On Friday, he got a question at a press conference that danced close to the subject of whether he may be nearing the end in Seattle.
A reporter asked Carroll whether he’s aware of the person who advises team owner Jody Allen.
“I don’t know that,” Carroll said as to Allen, who inherited the Seahawks and the remainder of her brother Paul Allen’s holdings after he died. “I’m sure she has all the resources she needs. I wouldn’t even know where to begin to answer that question.”
It seems to be fairly important information, because that person — whoever it may be — may soon be advising Jody Allen on whether to change coaches. Especially if there’s a chance that a new coach will make quarterback Russell Wilson more likely to not want to leave.
To the extent that the person advising Jody Allen needs some insight as to why the Seahawks struggled this year, Carroll provided it, when asked to identify the main reason why the Seahawks didn’t make it to the playoffs.
“I don’t know how many teams make it when they lose their quarterback in the middle of the year, I don’t know how that happens,” Carroll said. “That is a big issue, a big issue to respond from, so that is a factor. We’ve rocked along for a long time together, watching Russell play and be a big part of our offense. You do everything you can, you make the adjustments, and go with your next guys, but it is a big challenge, and often it upsets the tempo and the rhythm of the way you play. Unfortunately, we didn’t overcome it as much as I would like, I think that was a factor in the middle.”
And Carroll made it clear that it wasn’t just the games Wilson missed, but the fact that the finger injury he suffered in October affected him after he returned to play.
“I think the whole thing was a big factor,” Carroll said. “I’m not going to slice it up for you because, I don’t know, but it just factored in. He missed a month of the season and then tried to come back and play. It’s different if you are a guard or a tackle or something like that, for the guy spinning the football, it makes a difference.”
That may not make a difference in Wilson’s eyes. While he surely would never direct a “him or me” ultimatum to the team, the reality is that, if Wilson wanted out after a 12-4 season, he won’t feel better about the situation after the first losing record of his career.
It makes for an interesting offseason in Seattle, starting with the question of whether to keep Carroll (and G.M. John Schneider), who the coach will be if a change is made, and whether that will be enough to get Wilson to want to stay.
And if Carroll goes, the next question is whether he becomes an immediate candidate to land elsewhere immediately. He should; plenty of the teams that are or will be looking for coaches can do (and have done) a lot worse than Pete Carroll, who had 10 straight winning seasons before 2021.
Will Jody Allen replace Pete Carroll as head coach in Seattle? originally appeared on Pro Football Talk