5 current or former Seahawks with Pete Carroll ties the Raiders should poach

Former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll clearly wanted back in after a year out, and now it's happening. On Friday, the Las Vegas Raiders announced Carroll will be their new head coach.

Carroll, at 73 years old (74 early in the 2015 season) will be the oldest head coach in the NFL, but he brings the energy of a man far younger to the Raiders' situation. They needed a coach that has a track record of winning along with able to be a culture setter, and they got it with Carroll on a reported three-year deal.

As Carroll takes on the Raiders' reset/rebuild, he'll surely want some familiar faces around him. His coaching staff will definitely reflect that. It's fair to assume parts of the roster will as well, with players he knows and who know him.

Here are five current or former Seahawks with ties to Carroll the Raiders should have on their radar.

5. DT Jarran Reed

Reed was drafted by the Seahawks in 2016. After two seasons (2021 and 2022) away, he came back in 2023 (Carroll's final season in Seattle) and posted the second-best sack total of his career (seven). He's on the wrong side of 30 (32), but Reed earned the 19th-best overall and pass rush grades among defensive tackles from Pro Football Focus this season as he showed he still has plenty to offer.

The Raiders' defensive line is not awful, but they did somewhat struggle to get after the quarterback this season (20th in pressure rate, 21st in sacks). Reed would help a lot there, and he is a free agent. It makes a lot of sense for both sides for him to reunite with Carroll.

4. WR DK Metcalf

Metcalf was the subject of trade rumors at this past season's deadline, and the offseason is already bringing more speculation in that regard. How a change in offensive coordinator in Seattle will impact him moving forward is unclear, but it is clear his usage under former offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb this past season was often less than ideal.

The Raiders have one proven commodity at wide receiver right now: Jakobi Meyers, and he's clearly more of a No. 2 receiver than a No. 1. Metcalf would fill that need for an alpha wide receiver, assuming the Seahawks will seriously entertain trading him.

Even so, imagine a passing attack of Metcalf, Meyers, and Brock Bowers? That would be an exciting trio.

3. WR Tyler Lockett

Trading for Metcalf would be ideal for the Raiders, but moving in the direction of what might be more realistic we have Lockett. The 32-year old is coming off one of the least-productive seasons of his career (49 catches for 600 yards and two touchdowns), as Jaxon Smith-Njigba clearly usurped in Seattle's wide receiver pecking order.

Lockett also carries a cap hit of nearly $30.9 million for 2025, with a $5.3 million roster bonus due to him early in the new league year (March 18). A contract restructure or a short extension is possible, but it's far more likely he'll be a cap casualty.

Lockett seems to be nearing the end of his career, with less than 900 yards in back-to-back seasons. But in another light he's not that far-removed from a four-season run (2019-2022) where he topped 1,000 yards with at least eight touchdowns, and there are certainly teams out there who can and will do worse for a No. 3/No. 4 receiver next season.

As mentioned with Metcalf, the Raiders simply need more proven commodities and experience at wide receiver. Lockett's intangible leadership would likely outweigh his production at this point, but in terms of players who can help Carroll set a new Raiders' culture there aren't many who would be better.

2. CB D.J. Reed

Reed is a free agent after spending the last three seasons with the New York Jets, but before their moribund 2024 campaign was even over he made it clear what his future plans were in comments to Tyler Dunne of Go Long.

"I’m ready to go to free agency, bro. I'm ready to see what's next for me", Reed said.

After spending the first two seasons of his career with the San Francisco 49ers, Reed landed with the Seahawks in 2020 and found a bigger role. Over his two seasons in Seattle he compiled 140 total tackles, four interceptions and 17 pass breakups while allowing a passer rating less than 76.0 and earning a Pro Football Focus run defense grade above 85.0 in both seasons.

The Raiders need plenty of help defensively, and that side of the ball is where Carroll's expertise is. As the scheme he'd like to have gets implemented, reuniting with Reed in free agency feels like a no-brainer.

1. QB Russell Wilson

Just because it's obvious doesn't make it any less true. Wilson has previously had interest in being a Raider, and upon the news of Carroll becoming head coach Jeff Howe of The Athletic immediately made the tie.

As Howe hinted, the ending in Seattle between Wilson and Carroll was not ideal as Wilson ultimately got traded to the Denver Broncos. But if they have indeed mended fences, the success they had over a decade together with the Seahawks cannot be denied.

The Raiders need a more viable quarterback, short and long-term. While Wilson is obviously not a long-term answer, he can be a suitable bridge to the next guy on the assumption a potential quarterback of the future is drafted in April. And as Carroll efforts to set the culture in Las Vegas, there'd be no better driver of that than having Wilson under center.