RENTON — Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll is sticking around through the 2021 season after signing a three-year contract extension.

Carroll said he was first approached about an extension last week and finished the deal on Monday. The contract will take him through his 70th birthday in September 2021.

Carroll is in his ninth season as Seattle's coach and clinched his seventh playoff berth with Sunday's victory over Kansas City. He is 97-59-1 overall in his tenure and led Seattle to a pair of Super Bowl appearances, winning the franchise's only championship after the 2013 season.

There was some question about the direction of the franchise following the death of owner Paul Allen in October, but Carroll says he "in great shape" and is appreciative of how he's been treated by the organization since his arrival.

"The organization has been exceedingly good to me throughout the whole time we've been here and they have continued to take that position and I couldn't be happier," Carroll said.

Carroll is the franchise leader in victories and had only two losing seasons in his time with the Seahawks — they went 7-9 in his first two years. His longevity with the Seahawks contrasts with his first stints as an NFL head coach when he lasted one season as the New York Jets coach in 1994 and three seasons with New England before being let go after the 1999 season.

This season was supposed to be the start of a rebuild for Seattle, but Carroll's team has been ahead of schedule and will be back in the playoffs after missing the postseason a year ago.

"It feels like we are just getting started," Carroll said.

AP