Schefter shares if 2 big-name coaches could be in play for Seahawks

Jan 12, 2024, 3:01 PM | Updated: 4:51 pm

Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald...

Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald of the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 31, 2023. (Todd Olszewski/Getty Images)

(Todd Olszewski/Getty Images)

Seattle Sports

The Seattle Seahawks, for the first time since after the 2009 season, need a new head coach.

Pete Carroll has been removed from the position he’s held since 2010, and the Seahawks now are searching for his replacement.

Pete Carroll details final meetings with Seattle Seahawks ownership

So how long was this looming? ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter discussed that during a Friday interview with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, as well as whether two big-name coaches with defensive backgrounds could be in play for the Seahawks.

“I think that this is a topic that probably has come up in recent seasons. I don’t think this is the first time that there were discussions with the owner about what direction they wanted the franchise to go,” Schefter said. “It’s just that this time, (Seahawks chair Jody Allen) decided that she wants to make a change, and she wants to go a different direction … (Carroll) intended to continue coaching and then they had the discussions that they did and obviously it became clear to him that other people have other plans. So I think that they were going to have those discussions just as they do after every year. I just think that they wound up going Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday in a way that Pete wasn’t necessarily expecting … finally culminating in his departure after an unbelievable run there in Seattle.”

A ton of names have been thrown out there for the Seahawks as to who Carroll’s successor will be. One of those names? Current Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, a former Falcons head coach who also was Seattle’s defensive coordinator during their two Super Bowl seasons in 2013 and 2014.

“I think that’s a natural one to conclude. I think Dan’s gonna have opportunities. I don’t think Seattle will be the only interested team,” Schefter said. “There’s obviously a history between him and the Seahawks, and it’s a situation where I expect him to be in play there. I expect him to be … a leading candidate for that job. Maybe he’s the leading candidate. I don’t know. But I would think he’ll be a leading candidate at the very least and let’s see where it goes, but definitely on the list.”

Another coach who is getting a lot of buzz this cycle is Mike Macdonald, the defensive coordinator for the Ravens. Could he be someone the Seahawks target?

“He is highly thought of by a lot of different people,” Schefter said. “I don’t know whether he will or won’t be a candidate in Seattle. He’s absolutely a candidate in many places. And sometimes when that happens, you just see that other teams also join the list or sometimes they say to themselves, ‘You know what? He’s on the list in Atlanta and Carolina and Tennessee and we’re not going to compete. We’re not prioritizing him enough to put him on our list.’ I don’t know what way it’ll go with Mike Macdonald, other than he’s highly thought of, he’s going to be a head coach one day, I expect. He’ll get an opportunity. It might be in this cycle. We’ll see how that goes.”

Listen to Brock and Salk’s full interview with Adam Schefter at this link or in the player near the top of this story.