Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald explains why OC Ryan Grubb was let go
Jan 6, 2025, 10:13 AM | Updated: Jan 7, 2025, 2:50 pm
Just minutes after news broke on Monday morning that the Seattle Seahawks were parting ways with offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, head coach Mike Macdonald sat down for his weekly conversation with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk and provided insight into the move.
Seahawks let OC Ryan Grubb go after one season
Macdonald confirmed the report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Grubb’s time with the Seahawks has ended after just one season, then shared why he made the decision.
“It’s really as simple as just I felt like the direction our offense was going was different than the vision that I had for our team, and felt like it was just a necessary decision at this point,” Macdonald said.
In some ways, the Seahawks had a good year on offense – particularly through the air. Quarterback Geno Smith broke his own team record with 4,320 passing yards, and second-year wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba broke out with 1,130 yards and 100 receptions, the latter mark tying Tyler Lockett’s team record for a season. But Smith was also asked to throw more than any QB in Seahawks history, which factored into his 15 interceptions to 21 touchdowns, and the running game struggled throughout the 2024 season, ranking 28th out of the 32 NFL teams with 1,627 rushing yards.
More: Brock Huard’s two reasons Seahawks moved on from Grubb
Grubb came from the college ranks, most recently spending the previous two seasons as the OC for a high-flying UW Huskies offense, and there seemed to be times during the 2024 season where he struggled to fit his offense to the pro game. When it comes to Macdonald’s decision to make the change, however, he focused on how his “vision” seemed to differ from Grubb’s.
“Ryan’s a heck of a football coach. We did some really great things on offense this year,” Macdonald said. “I mean, Geno I think had a bunch of career highs throwing the ball, and we did some really cool situation stuff. I know Jax had a great year, so we did a lot of great things. It’s just my vision for our offense I think ultimately was different than where I thought Ryan thought it was going.
“So we respect the heck out of him, we wish him the best. These are tough decisions to make. You know, these are really tough decisions to make, but the team comes first and just felt it was the best for the team. … I think we just needed to go in a different direction and that’s why we ultimately made the move.”
Hear the full Mike Macdonald Show in the podcast at this link or in the player near the top of this post. The Mike Macdonald Show airs at 9:30 a.m. live on the next weekday after each Seahawks game during Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.
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