Could Pete Carroll return to the college game...at UCLA?

With his time possibly coming to an end with the Seattle Seahawks, a report suggests Pete Carroll could make a return to the college game and Los Angeles in one fair swoop.

With a 6-10 record entering Sunday’s game against Arizona Cardinals, the Seattle Seahawks will miss the playoffs for just the second time since Russell Wilson became their quarterback in 2012. It will the third time missing the playoffs in Pete Carroll’s 12 seasons as Seahawks’ head coach.

As trade rumors around Wilson surface again, so goes speculation about Carroll’s future. A rebuild may be coming in Seattle, and the NFL’s oldest current head coach isn’t really a fit for such a thing.

It’s safe to say Chip Kelly’s tenure at UCLA hasn’t gone quite as planned. This past season’s 8-4 record (with wins over USC and LSU) was progress, but 18-25 in four seasons is pretty ugly.

Buyouts sometimes save the jobs of college coaches, and with pandemic financial losses that has become a big factor for schools. A $9 million buyout probably saved Kelly heading into 2021.

Carroll’s successful tenure at USC ended in NCAA sanctions, but there’s no denying his record there. Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline reports he’s “hearing” UCLA could pursue Carroll.

We’ll see what happens with Pete Carroll’s job after this final week, and we’ll see if [UCLA] brings back Chip Kelly or if it lets him go.”

From what I’m hearing, UCLA could potentially try and court Pete Carroll, to bring Pete Carroll in as the head coach of UCLA.”

The date to watch is Jan. 15. That’s the last day of the fourth year of Kelly’s contract, and turns he page to the fifth and final year of his deal. It’s also when his $9 million reciprocal buyout expires, meaning either side can move on without owing any money.

Kelly interviewed at Oregon for a possible return to where he had his greatest success as a coach. There’s some buzz he could draw interest from the NFL, if only as leverage for a contract extension from UCLA.

It seems unlikely Carroll would want to return to the college game at 70 years old (71 in September), with his success so far in the past now and his archaic thinking about offensive football making for a strained fit. But if the Seahawks let him go, or he wants to leave on his own motivation, nothing should be ruled out-including a return to college football (and Los Angeles) at UCLA.