Ex-Legion of Boom member bats for Pete Carroll as next Bears HC to revive struggling franchise

Pete Carroll has been largely unnoticed since the Seattle Seahawks replaced him with Mike Macdonald at the end of the 2023 season. However, he has since revealed interest in coaching the Chicago Bears in 2025 and one of his former players thinks he is the perfect man for the job.

On Sunday's episode of his eponymous podcast, Richard Sherman, the most famous member of the vaunted Legion of Boom that helped the Seahawks win Super Bowl XLVIII, cited Carroll's reputation as a "culture-builder" to be a significant reason why general manager Ryan Poles should want him (1:24 onwards).

"He maximizes the abilities of his players both defensively and offensively," Sherman said. "He gets guys that fit the scheme he desires to play. He surrounds himself with coaches who are great at their jobs and coach the way he envisions. You’ve seen the success of his coaching tree around the league."

The Bears are coming off one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory, both in initial excitement and eventual reality. They were also coming off drafting highly-touted Heisman winner Caleb Williams and investing in his arsenal.

They initially seemed to be fulfilling the promise of their core, going 4-2 before their bye week. But since then, they have often lost their next ten games because of poor coaching decisions. This culminated in the midseason firing of Matt Eberflus— the first head coach in franchise history to suffer this fate — after a notorious display of poor clock management in a Thanksgiving loss at the Detroit Lions.

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Pete Carroll makes sense for the Bears, says Dan Wiederer

Former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. (Credits: IMAGN)

As it turns out, Richard Sherman is not alone in thinking that Pete Carroll could be the savor Caleb Williams's Bears need. The Chicago Tribune's Dan Wiederer also subscribes to that notion. He writes that he has many traits that franchise president Kevin Warren has said he wants in the next coach.

"Tough and demanding: Check. Can create a culture of accountability: Check. Bright and creative? Decisive? Check, check and check."

He continues by saying that Carroll is a master of creating belief — a trait he cultivated and perfected in his 14 seasons in Seattle. This trait is desperately needed in Chicago after one of the longest stretches of mediocrity in league history.

However, Wiederer also opines that this should not preclude them from seeking out other candidates, like Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who has turned Jared Goff into an elite quarterback and thus should be their primary target if they want a "quarterback whisperer" for Caleb Williams.