Macdonald adds veteran Leslie Frazier as Seahawks assistant head coach
Feb 2, 2024, 3:59 PM
Former Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier looks on prior to a 2023 playoff game. (Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
(Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
New Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald is the youngest head coach in the NFL, but he’s adding plenty of experience to his coaching staff already.
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According to multiple reports, the 36-year-old Macdonald is adding a veteran sounding board to his coaching staff in Leslie Frazier, who will reportedly become Seattle’s assistant head coach.
Frazier, 64, is a former NFL player and is a longtime coach, including a three-year stint as head coach in Minnesota.
Frazier most recently was defensive coordinator with the Buffalo Bills, a job he held from 2017-22.
Macdonald and Frazier have worked together in the past. In 2016, Frazier was Baltimore’s secondary coach. Macdonald was in his third year with the Ravens, and that year he was a defensive assistant.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero was first to report the move, and he said that Frazier “has long been a mentor” to Macdonald.
CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson said she spoke to Frazier about joining the Seahawks, and he told her he had offers from four jobs but chose Seattle because of his relationship with Macdonald.
Frazier is one of many coaches Macdonald will hire to fill out his coaching staff. The Seahawks reportedly will retain Karl Scott, the team’s secondary coach the last two years. Scott was reportedly set to join the Philadelphia Eagles but instead opted to return to Seattle.
Macdonald has said he will call defensive plays for the Seahawks until he feels there’s a viable replacement in place, and that could potentially mean Frazier calls plays as he has 14 years of NFL defensive coordinator experience.
On offense, the Seahawks have so far been tied to two names for their offensive coordinator vacancy. One is Ryan Grubb, the former play-caller at the University of Washington who followed Kalen DeBoer to Alabama this offseason. The other is Tanner Engstrand, the current passing game coordinator of the Detroit Lions.
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