Report: Seahawks add 2 to OC search, including ex-Jets HC Adam Gase
Jan 18, 2021, 1:02 PM
The Seahawks have reportedly spoken to ex-Jets HC Adam Gase about the OC opening. (Getty)
(Getty)
The Seahawks’ search for their next offensive coordinator has been underway since early last week and according to a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, another coach who was a head coach in 2020 has talked to Seattle about the opening in Adam Gase.
Bumpus: Seahawks have in-house OC candidate who deserves attention
According to Fowler, the Seahawks reached out to Gase about becoming the team’s next offensive coordinator. In addition to Gase, Fowler reported that the Seahawks plan to talk to Mike Kafka, who is the Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks coach.
#Seahawks have spoken to former #Jets head coach Adam Gase about the offensive coordinator opening, per source, and they intend to speak to #Chiefs QBs coach Mike Kafka at some point. Seattle casting wide net to get some new ideas for Russell Wilson and co.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 18, 2021
Gase and Kafka now make seven names that the Seahawks have been linked to for the opening. Former Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn, former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson, Chargers offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, Chargers quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton and Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott are all coaches who the Seahawks have reportedly spoken to about the opening, though Elliott reportedly told coaches that he will be staying at Clemson for 2021.
In addition to those seven, Seahawks passing game coordinator Dave Canales has been drawing interest from teams for an offensive coordinator role, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, though it’s unclear whether he’s under consideration for the opening in Seattle.
Interesting college note: Dave Canales, #Seahawks Passing Game Coordinator, was recently offered the the #Vanderbilt OC job but turned it down to stay in the NFL. Previously the QB coach in Seattle, Canales is expected to get some NFL OC looks.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 18, 2021
But when it comes to the two newest reported names in Gase and Kafka, the reaction regarding Gase being mentioned has been less than positive.
Gase, 42, was last the head coach of the New York Jets in 2020, where his team went 2-14. In two years in New York, his teams went a combined 9-23 and were very poor offensively. That came on the heels of a combined 23-25 tenure from 2016 to 2018 as the Miami Dolphins head coach. Before that, he was an offensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears in 2015 and the Denver Broncos in 2014 and 2015.
Kafka, meanwhile, is 33 years old and has been the Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks coach the last three years, as well as passing game coordinator in 2020.
On 710 ESPN Seattle’s Jake and Stacy, former NFL quarterback Jake Heaps shared his thoughts on the news that Gase and Kafka are reportedly in the mix for the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator opening.
Heaps said one thing fans should be happy about is that with those two being reported candidates, it shows that head coach Pete Carroll is casting a wide net in terms of candidates for the job, but when it comes to Gase, Heaps wouldn’t be a fan of the hire, even though Gase has been far more successful as a coordinator than as a head coach.
“I don’t like this particular pairing,” he said. “I don’t think that Adam Gase will be the offensive coordinator for Seattle for a variety of different reasons.”
Those reasons are that Heaps doesn’t think Gase has shown he can develop relationships without them deteriorating over time. Heaps also said that Gase’s offenses didn’t have the same “offensive firepower” since Peyton Manning was his quarterback in Denver in 2013 and 2014.
“That one doesn’t necessarily fire me up,” Heaps said.
But hearing about Kafka as a potential name does intrigue Heaps a great deal.
Heaps pointed out that Kafka could be in line for a promotion in Kansas City as current offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy could get a head coaching job. Something to note there, though, is that head coach Andy Reid calls plays, so if Kafka wanted to be a play caller, Seattle could be an intriguing landing spot.
Something Kafka could help with would be in regards to a more aggressive offense and faster starts. The Chiefs have had one of the NFL’s top offenses for years and are almost always coming out of the gates firing. Quarterback Russell Wilson told reporters last week he wants the offense to do a better job in 2021 of getting off to better starts. Heaps thinks Kafka could help in a big way in that regard.
“You want somebody that’s going to be in attack mode right there with you one step ahead that can start fast and keep things rolling, Mike Kafka coming from that mindset from the Kansas City Chiefs, that’s appealing, that’s interesting,” he said.
Follow Brandon Gustafson on Twitter.
