The NFL’s coaching landscape has skewed younger in recent cycles, but one hire re-centred the age conversation. As the Las Vegas Raiders ushered in their new era, head coach Pete Carroll stepped onto Monday Night Football and ascended to No. 1 on the league’s age table.
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Pete Carroll Leads List of Oldest NFL HCs
Pete Carroll, now 74, is the oldest head coach in NFL history. His return to the NFL with the Raiders in 2025 made him the league’s elder statesman by a significant margin. Carroll leads his 19th NFL season as a head coach and has a 172-126-1 record, surpassing Bill Parcells in all-time wins.
The Raiders have started the season 2-6, and based on PFSN’s QB Impact metric, have the 28th-ranked offense in the league.
Andy Reid
Andy Reid, 67, remains one of the NFL’s most accomplished and longest-active head coaches. Reid comes second among the oldest active coaches, with a tally of 278 wins and 27 seasons, while he’s fourth all-time in victories and advancing toward the 300-win plateau.
Reid is among the most stable leadership pillars, having led the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs for extended runs. His age ranks behind Carroll, but his standing in wins and tenure continues to define the modern era.
John Harbaugh
John Harbaugh, 62, enters his 18th season in Baltimore and ranks among the oldest active coaches behind Carroll and Reid. Harbaugh holds a 175-109 record and notes his proximity to the 200-win milestone. Harbaugh is also among the league’s longest-serving coaches, underscoring the sustained competitiveness of his Baltimore Ravens teams. In the present ranking, Harbaugh slots just behind Reid among the oldest active coaches.
How Long Has Pete Carroll Been In the NFL?
Carroll’s NFL coaching arc spans more than three decades, beginning with NFL assistant and coordinator roles in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and moving into head-coaching positions starting in 1994. He entered NFL coaching with the New York Jets in 1994, then with the New England Patriots from 1997 to 1999, and with the Seattle Seahawks from 2010 to 2023 before joining the Raiders.
How Many Teams Has Pete Carroll Coached in the NFL?
Carroll has now coached four NFL franchises as a head coach: the New York Jets (1994), the New England Patriots (1997–99), the Seattle Seahawks (2010–23), and the Las Vegas Raiders (2025–).
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In 1994, he led the Jets to a 6-10 finish in his lone season at the helm, a brief tenure that preceded a move to New England three years later. From 1997–99, Carroll’s Patriots went 27-21 with a 1-2 postseason mark, including an AFC East title and back‑to‑back playoff berths before the franchise pivoted in 2000.
His most sustained run came in Seattle, where from 2010-23 the Seahawks posted a 137-89-1 regular‑season record and a 10-9 postseason mark, capturing Super Bowl XLVIII, reaching another Super Bowl the following year, and logging 10 playoff appearances over 14 seasons.
The arc extends in 2025 to Las Vegas, where his Raiders tenure begins and, simultaneously, establishes him as the oldest head coach in NFL history at 74, completing a four‑franchise résumé that spans three decades.
