In
1994, Carroll was elevated to head coach of the Jets. Known for energy and youthful enthusiasm, Carroll painted a basketball court in the parking lot of the team's practice facility where he and his assistant coaches regularly played three-on-three games during their spare time.[SUP]
[12][/SUP] The Jets got off to a 6–5 start under Carroll, but in week 12, he was the victim of
Dan Marino's "
clock play"—a fake spike that became a
Miami Dolphins game-winning touchdown. The Jets lost all of their remaining games to finish 6–10. He was fired after one season.
[SUP][[/SUP]
Carroll was hired for the next season by the
San Francisco 49ers, where he served as defensive coordinator for the following two seasons (1995–96). His return to success as the defensive coordinator led to his hiring as the head coach of the
New England Patriots in
1997, replacing coach
Bill Parcells, who had resigned after disputes with the team's ownership. His 1997 Patriots team won the
AFC East division title, but his subsequent two teams did not fare as well—losing in the
wild card playoff round in
1998, and missing the playoffs after a late-season slide in 1999—and he was fired after the
1999 season. Patriots owner
Robert Kraft said firing Carroll was one of the toughest decisions he has had to make since buying the team, stating "A lot of things were going on that made it difficult for him to stay, some of which were out of his control. And it began with following a legend."
[SUP][12][/SUP] Before leaving for college football he coached with the Seattle Seahawks as cornerbacks coach. His combined NFL record as a head coach was 33–31, and he was later considered a much better fit for college football than the NFL after his success at USC.
[SUP][[/SUP]
