How other head coaching hires have impacted the Seahawks

Jan 26, 2024, 2:55 PM | Updated: 3:59 pm

Colby Parkinson of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after a touchdown on Dec. 24, 2023. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

(Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Seattle Sports

Eight teams were looking for head coaches at the beginning of last week. Now, there are just two head coaching openings left as the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders have yet to make a hire.

Why is the Seattle Seahawks’ coaching search taking so long?

With six head coaching vacancies now filled, where does that leave the Seahawks? Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy discussed that with NFL.com’s Eric Edholm.

“Looking at just two teams left, that being Seattle and the Commanders, in terms of who’s hiring who, obviously we’ve heard reports about the Commanders being interested in (Detroit Lions offensive coordinator) Ben Johnson, which leaves a lot of defensive candidates available for Seattle,” Stacy Rost said. “Is there any defensive coordinator around the league that you have your eye on as a very intriguing potential head coach?”

Edholm first pointed to Carolina and Atlanta, both of which hired head coaches on Thursday. The Panthers hired Tampa Bay offensive coordinator and former Seattle assistant Dave Canales while the Falcons hired Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, who interviewed with the Seahawks and was reportedly set for a second interview with Seattle this weekend.

“I’m sure that helped at least shape what was gonna happen in Seattle and Washington,” Edholm said.

What helps the Seahawks in their search, Edholm said, is that they have a candidate they’re extremely familiar with who is still available.

“They have, I would say, an ace in their back pocket. I don’t know what you want to call it, but they have a great fallback option in Dan Quinn,” Edholm said.

Quinn, the defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys, had two stints as a Seahawks assistant between 2009 and 2014, including two seasons as defensive coordinator. Quinn called plays for Seattle’s legendary Legion of Boom defense during back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in 2013 and 2014. After that, he was head coach in Atlanta for six years and led the Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance.

“The familiarity there, the connection to Seattle, his success in Dallas – playoff (loss to Green Bay) notwithstanding – that would be a base hit up the middle, a solid play,” Edholm said. “He’s got good head coaching experience, had a pretty good record until the final year in Atlanta. There’s a lot of boxes that he checks off.”

While Quinn checks a lot of boxes as a potentially safe hire, Edholm likes the idea of a bright young coordinator getting his first head coaching job with the Seahawks.

“If you’re looking more for the intriguing candidate, you may want to watch the early game on Sunday to see how Mike Macdonald does,” he said.

Stacy Rost’s most and least intriguing names in Seattle Seahawks coach search

Macdonald, 36, is the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator. The Ravens had the NFL’s top defense this year and host last year’s Super Bowl champs, the Kansas City Chiefs, in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.

The Seahawks have reported interest in talking to Macdonald, but can’t until the Ravens’ season is done due to new NFL rule changes. That stems from the timing in which the Seahawks parted ways with Pete Carroll as well as Baltimore having a first-round playoff bye.

“That’s kind of the out of left field candidate even though he’s been mentioned for other spots and things like that,” Edholm said. “And his name has grown in the last year. He fascinates me because he’s 36, but he’s had pretty decent experience. He’s only worked for (Jim and John) Harbaugh, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing considering their habit of success.”

Edholm thinks the Seahawks ultimately hire Quinn or Macdonald. He also doesn’t think Seattle has to rush to get a hire done.

“They can take their time now because I think they’re not necessarily in competition with Washington,” he said. ” … They can wait until after this weekend’s games and set the plan forth from there.”

Listen to Bump and Stacy’s full conversation with Eric Edholm at this link or in the player near the top of this story.