Pete Carroll’s mantra was “always compete” — it was the title of his book, after all.

And he did right up to the point where the ownership of the Seattle Seahawks decided it was time for a new voice to be in charge following 14 seasons.

After bringing the Seahawks two NFC championships and the team’s only Super Bowl title, Carroll will no longer be the head coach in Seattle following the longest stretch of success in franchise history.

The decision seems less a firing and more a separation, but one the 72-year-old Carroll was at least somewhat forced to accept following discussions with ownership. Carroll will move into an undefined advisory role within the organization, according to Wednesday’s statement from owner Jody Allen.

But it’s clear that Carroll wanted to continue in the role he had and see if he could produce one more title team.

“I competed pretty hard to be the coach, just so you know,” Carroll said during an emotional farewell news conference. “I just wanted to make sure I stood up for all of our coaches and the players and the things that we had accomplished. Not just so we could be the coach still, but so we could continue to have a chance to be successful and keep the organization going. That’s what I was fighting for.

“In that regard, that’s what I was representing in our discussions,” Carroll continued. “And we got to a good part, good, clean spot where it made sense, and I went along with their intentions.”

With staff from throughout the facility, assistant coaches and a few current players filling the auditorium, Carroll spoke for more than 30 minutes through a mix of tears and laughter about a tenure that will be difficult for any coach to match in the future.

“I’m thrilled that we’ve had this run. I really am. This level of consistency that we’ve demonstrated is such that it makes you proud,” Carroll said.

Carroll will step aside as the most successful coach in franchise history, but with an unsatisfactory conclusion after several seasons of middling results, including a 9-8 record and no playoff berth in his final season.

He’ll forever be lauded as the first coach to bring the Lombardi Trophy to Seattle with the Super Bowl 48 victory over Denver. Carroll finished with a 137-69-1 record in the regular season with the Seahawks. He led Seattle to five NFC West titles and 10 playoff victories.

But Carroll and the organization never fully recovered from what happened in the Super Bowl 49 and Russell Wilson’s goal line interception in the final seconds. The core that took Seattle to those title games eventually unraveled and while Carroll tried several different reboots, the Seahawks never again found that level of talent and chemistry to experience another title and wash away the memories of that painful loss.

Seattle also plateaued toward the end of Carroll’s time, finishing with a losing record in 2021 followed by consecutive 9-8 seasons while falling short of becoming more of a contender in the NFC West.

Titans want to interview Pierce

The Tennessee Titans have requested an interview with Las Vegas interim coach Antonio Pierce, potentially giving the Raiders competition should they eventually offer him the full-time job.

Tennessee is looking for a replacement for Mike Vrabel, who was fired Tuesday after six seasons.

The Titans also requested an interview with Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.

Bills fan killed near Dolphins’ stadium

Police in South Florida say a man fatally shot a 30-year-old Buffalo Bills fan during an altercation near Hard Rock Stadium after the Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins in the final regular season game.

As Dylan Brody Isaacs and his friends were returning to their vehicle after the game Sunday night, they had an altercation with the driver of another vehicle a few blocks from the stadium, Miami Gardens police said in a news release.

The driver pulled out a gun and fired shots at Isaacs, who died at the scene, police said.

Detectives have identified and interviewed a suspect, but that person’s name wasn’t immediately released.

Bears fire OC, other assistants

The Chicago Bears are sticking with coach Matt Eberflus in 2024. There will, however, be some big changes to his staff.

The Bears fired most of their offensive assistants, including coordinator Luke Getsy after two seasons, on Wednesday.

Quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko, wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert, running backs coach Omar Young and assistant tight ends coach Tim Zetts were also let go.

Giants DC Martindale isn’t returning

Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and the New York Giants have parted ways after coach Brian Daboll fired two of his most trusted assistant coaches.

The Giants, coming off a disappointing 6-11 season, announced the separation after more than a day of talks on how to work around the final year of Martindale’s contract. He was supposed to earn in the neighborhood of $3 million in 2024.