Sean Payton vs. Pete Carroll record: Full head-to-head results between Broncos, Raiders veteran coaches

Pete Carroll and Sean Payton are two of the best coaches in NFL history, and they've had their share of battles over the years.

The two coaches were NFC rivals while coaching the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints, respectively, each winning a Super Bowl in their storied careers. Their matchups, however, weren't too frequent, since they spent most of their coaching careers in different divisions.

Still, whenever the two coaches faced off, the games were usually memorable. That includes one game that featured the iconic Marshawn Lynch "Beast Mode" run, which remains a top-tier moment in Seahawks history.

How many times have Pete Carroll and Sean Payton coached against each other?

While Pete Carroll and Sean Payton have both been head coaches in the NFL for a while, they have only coached against each other seven times. In each of those matchups, Payton was the Saints head coach, while Carroll led the Seahawks.

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Pete Carroll vs. Sean Payton head-to-head record

Sean Payton has a 4-3 edge over Pete Carroll in their history coaching against each other. However, Carroll has the advantage in the playoffs.

While Payton has won four of the five regular-season matchups between the two, Carroll won both playoff games. The first postseason matchup was the infamous "Beast Mode" game, where the Seahawks upset the Saints on the backs of Marshawn Lynch, and Seattle followed that up with a wild card weekend victory three years later.

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How many teams has Pete Carroll coached?

Pete Carroll has been a football coach since the 1970s, and he has spent much of the last three decades exclusively as a head coach for four NFL teams and one team in college.

In the NFL, he spent one year leading the New York Jets in 1994, then was the head coach of the New England Patriots from 1997 to 1999. Carroll made the jump to college in 2001, where he led USC for nine years and secured national championships in 2003 and 2004.

Then, in 2010, Carroll returned to the NFL as head coach and vice president of football operations for the Seahawks. Carroll stayed in Seattle for 14 seasons, winning a Super Bowl and winning 137 regular season games, likely securing his spot in Canton. Carroll parted ways with the Seahawks after the 2023 season, but returned to coaching in 2025 with the Las Vegas Raiders.

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How many teams has Sean Payton coached?

While Sean Payton has spent his entire career as a coach, he has only been a head coach for two teams. First, Payton led the Saints for 15 of 16 seasons between 2006 and 2021, then took over the Broncos as head coach ahead of the 2023 season.

Overall, Payton has also been an assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, all coming after several stints in the college ranks.

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How old is Pete Carroll?

How old is Sean Payton?

Sean Payton is 61 years-old and will turn 62 in December of 2025. He is currently the sixth-oldest active coach in the NFL and one of three coaches who are either 61 or 62.

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