NFL Kicks Off the Season With the Oldest Coach in Its History

When the 2025 NFL season kicks off in September, Las Vegas Raiders coach Pete Carroll will be 73 years old. As of September 15, when he turns 74, he will be the oldest head coach in NFL history.

At his introductory press conference in January, he addressed his age directly, saying he still has plenty of fire left.

“It’s about competing and proving that you have value, you have worth,” he said. “I don’t care how old you are. For anybody out there that’s old and wants to know how you do it, you freaking battle every day, and you compete and you find your way to get better.”

Carroll has enjoyed a long and illustrious career as an NFL head coach, starting in 1994 with the New York Jets. He has coached his teams to multiple postseason appearances and won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014.

Before Carroll, the oldest head coach in NFL history was Romeo Crennel, who was 73 when he was the interim head coach for the Houston Texans during the 2020 season. Other coaches who come close include Marv Levy, who was 72 when he coached the Buffalo Bills in 1997; George Halas, also 72 when he coached the Chicago Bears in 1967; and Bill Belichick, who was 71 when he coached the New England Patriots in 2023.

And what about the oldest NFL team members on the field? Quarterback and kicker George Blanda, who also played in the American Football League, holds that title. Blanda played a record 26 seasons for teams that included the Chicago Bears, Baltimore Colts, Houston Oilers and Oakland Raiders. He retired at 48 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981.

Not far behind him was famed quarterback Tom Brady, who retired at 45. Brady played for the New England Patriots for years before spending the rest of his football career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.