Pete Carroll's Seahawks connection remains strong as ever

Even though he's no longer coaching in Seattle, Carroll still holds a lot of love for the city. In fact, he's keeping his house in the area despite now working over 1,000 miles away.

“It’s still home to me, you know. … I never would have known had I not been hanging around the area this year how much of a connection we have made with the community and the people," Carroll told reporters Tuesday. "The fans and the people that I meet running through the airports, in the streets, wherever we’re going, have been so gracious and it’s… had an obvious effect on me of how we did relate through the time we were together. And I’m really grateful for that. I’m really grateful for that."

Carroll, the NFL's oldest coach at 73 years old, has by far the most wins in Seahawks history with 137. He also led the team to 10 playoff appearances, five NFC West titles, two NFC championships and the franchise's first and so far only Super Bowl victory. No matter what happens going forward, he'll always be a legend in the Emerald City.

To him, though, none of that success would've been possible without some of the league's most passionate fans.

“I didn’t have the idea that there was that much of an exchange," Carroll said. "Like I said, even in coming here to the Raiders, my job isn’t just the team, to me. It extends beyond that. It extends to our fans and extends to the people that support us and fill our stadium up, make it hard to play in because we’re filling every seat and all that. They’re helping us win so we’re all in this thing together.

“And in taking that effort to Seattle, we were rewarded so extraordinarily because of the 12s and the way that they love their teams. So it’s an unforgettable relationship and I’m never going to lose connection with that. I just don’t want to and so I’m going do everything I can to stay connected as much as possible.”