As the Pete Carroll rumors swirl, it’s not impossible for him to go back to San Francisco as their defensive coordinator.

After a year in an advisory role, former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is now in the mix to be a head coach again.

So far, Carroll has had interviews with the Chicago Bears and the Las Vegas Raiders, and it appears as though Las Vegas may be the frontrunners to land Carroll. Seeing as nothing is official just yet, though, it is always possible for Carroll to land elsewhere.

The San Francisco 49ers, who fired defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen after one season, have an opportunity to bring Carroll back to their staff after almost 30 years. Previously, Carroll spent two seasons as San Francisco’s DC from 1995-1996 before landing a head coaching job with the New England Patriots.

Currently, the 49ers are targeting Robert Saleh, who served as their DC for four years before becoming the Jets’ head coach in 2021. That being said, it is not unfathomable for San Francisco to go with Carroll at DC, as per Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard.

In fact, as the 49ers anxiously wait for the outcome of Saleh’s interview with Jacksonville for the Jaguars’ head-coaching vacancy, I’ve heard that Carroll’s name has come up inside 49ers HQ as an interesting idea, at least. But the 49ers also have to wait out things with Carroll, who, according to The Athletic, could be the Raiders’ No. 1 choice now that Ben Johnson has taken the Chicago Bears’ job.

“Their team played at another level than most guys. And when you talk about how they compete and all that stuff and all those words that he uses, which is great, but what really is great is the film that he had,” said Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan (via The Standard).

“And I really caught it right away in my first year as a head coach, just how physical they were on offense, defense, special teams. Regardless of what you were playing with schematically, really what it came down to, is how much you got after it and how physical guys were.

“That’s what I always felt like. Us and Seattle played a little bit differently. I think that always started with Pete.”

Needless to say, the vigor that Carroll brings at age 73 would be a major asset for any team. Going to San Francisco seems like a long shot, but it would not be impossible for Carroll to do so, seeing as the Niners have now gone through three DCs in as many seasons. This offseason might just get even more interesting.