The 49ers know the rivalry between Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh well, and now it'll resurface once more but over in the AFC West this time.
Team rivalries are one thing. Yet personal rivalries between players and coaches can extend across not only teams but players and coaches, too.
San Francisco 49ers fans were graced with the personal rivalry between head coaches Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll, having been familiar with it when the two faced off in the Pac-12 when they were coaching Stanford and USC, respectively.
Then, of course, Harbaugh versus Carroll was must-watch football when the two were respectively at the helm of the Niners and Seattle Seahawks during the first half of the 2010s, regularly battling for dominance of the NFC West.
Of course, that rivalry went dormant when Harbaugh returned to the college ranks in 2015, going to the Unversity of Michigan. And it seemed it would never return despite Harbaugh's NFL return in 2024 when he took over the Los Angeles Chargers. After all, the Hawks dismissed Carroll from duties that offseason, leading many to believe a Harbaugh-Carroll handshake at the 50-yard line would never happen again.
Wrong.
Pete Carroll going to Raiders ensures rivalry with Jim Harbaugh will continue
On Jan. 24, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Las Vegas Raiders were hiring Carroll to be their next head coach, signing him to a three-year deal with a fourth-year option:
Just in: Pete Carroll and the Raiders now have reached agreement on a three-year deal with a fourth-year team option, sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 24, 2025
Another veteran legendary coach has returned. pic.twitter.com/Jc2J0EPo7N
There was a slight buzz San Francisco was considering Carroll for a defensive coordinator role prior to this news, particularly if the team wasn't able to land former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh to lead the defense.
But, with Saleh now poised to take over defensive duties for the 49ers again, the path was clear for Carroll to join the Silver and Black.
And, wouldn't you know it? He'll get to square off against Harbaugh twice a year again.
Plus, the entire AFC West should be pretty wild with coaches Niners fans know well, too, also including Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos and Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs.
This time, the Niners won't have too much vested interest in the matchup, perhaps only rooting for a still-beloved Harbaugh to whip Carroll's Raiders on a regular basis. After all, Carroll's Seahawks got the last laughs over San Francisco by not only beating the 49ers in the 2014 NFC Championship game but also winning the Hawks their first and only Super Bowl that same season.
Either way, one might expect a Raiders-Chargers game in 2025 to be yet another installment of must-watch football because of these two.