Pete Carroll draws surprise 49ers interest as Raiders decision looms

Would Pete Carroll be desperate enough for a return to the NFL to settle for a defensive coordinator job?It’s a thought that has at least crossed the mind of one of the Super Bowl-winning ex-Seahawks coach’s rivals, as Carroll’s name “has come up inside 49ers HQ as an interesting idea,” The San Francisco Standard reported Wednesday.The 49ers, with head coach Kyle Shanahan entering his ninth season, want to bring fired Jets coach Robert Saleh back into his old job, but Saleh is squarely in the mix for the Jaguars head coaching job after Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen bowed out of the race — which preceded Jacksonville’s firing of general manager Trent Baalke.Carroll, however, is now the Raiders’ top option for their head coaching vacancy, according to The Athletic, after they missed out on Ben Johnson, the Lions offensive coordinator who just took the Bears head coaching job — a position Carroll interviewed for.The 73-year-old stepped down as Seahawks head coach following the 2023 season after 14 years, which included 10 playoff appearances and a 137-89-1 record.The last time he was a defensive coordinator was with none other than the 49ers in 1995 and ’96 after his lone season as the Jets head coach in ’94.Carroll left San Francisco to follow Bill Parcells as the Patriots’ head coach but was fired after three seasons.He’d go on to become the third coach ever to win both a college national championship and a Super Bowl, leading USC to a title in 2004 and the Seahawks to a Super Bowl win 11 years ago.On Wednesday, the Raiders hired John Spytek as their new general manager, someone with ties to Las Vegas minority owner Tom Brady as they worked together with the Buccaneers, where Spytek was assistant general manager.It’s unclear whether Spytek will have a major influence on the coaching hire, or if Brady and majority owner Mark Davis will be making the call....