On Monday, Pete Carroll took part in his introductory press conference as the new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders where he was surprised by the presence of an old player that contributed heavily to his success as a coach in Seattle.
Carroll was joined by Raiders general manager John Spytek to address the media for the first time as their head coach. The most vocal fan in attendance of his introductory press conference by far was former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch.
As Spytek began to speak, Lynch could be seen chatting it up with Raiders star edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
Then, Lynch took a seat and enjoyed the show once Carroll got to talking, but quickly interjected himself just minutes into the presser by emphatically shouting “RAAIIIDERS!” from the back of the press room, which got a hilarious reaction out of his former coach.
“There ya go, there ya go,” said Carroll in response to Lynch’s Raiders chant that echoed throughout the room. “Hey Mark (Davis), settle down a little bit.”
Lynch’s connection with Carroll is quite obvious, playing under him for seven seasons during their time together with the Seattle Seahawks. But some may forget that Lynch also played for the Raiders, his hometown team growing up, for two seasons before calling it quits for good following the 2019 season.
Clearly, the always enthusiastic Marshawn Lynch couldn’t be happier about Carroll coaching his longtime favorite team.
Lynch, of course, isn’t the only former NFL star that is excited for Carroll’s tenure in Las Vegas. Raiders part-owner and Fox color analyst Tom Brady seemed to play a big part in Carroll being named head coach.
Interestingly, Carroll spoke to Brady’s influence on a number of occasions throughout his introductory presser, saying that it was a “great move” by Raiders owner Mark Davis to include Tom Brady in the mix.