Seahawks Offensive Coordinator Search: 4 candidates to watch

Jan 6, 2025, 2:13 PM | Updated: 3:01 pm

Seattle Seahawks OC candidates Wes Phillips...

Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips of the Minnesota Vikings before a 2024 game against the Seattle Seahawks. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

BY ZAC HERETH

Seattle Sports

Offensive coordinator just rose to the top of the Seattle Seahawks’ list of needs this offseason.

The Seahawks on Monday moved on from offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb after only one season as the play caller.

Brock: Two reasons Seattle Seahawks moved on from OC Ryan Grubb

With the offensive coordinator position now open, Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy delved into four potential candidates the Seahawks could pursue to be the next leader of their offense.

Seattle Seahawks OC candidates

Jake Peetz

The conversation started with the Seahawks’ top in-house candidate to fill the position in passing game coordinator Jake Peetz. Peetz joined the Seahawks’ staff in February after two seasons as an assistant under offensive guru Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams.

Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald spoke highly of Peetz in a recent interview.

“He adds a lot of experience. I’ve known Jake for a long time, and he’s been around the block. He’s seen a lot of things,” Macdonald said. “People that offer their opinions and it’s well thought out and detailed and built around the principles that we want to do, that’s a lot of stuff that Jake does. Both as a program and with our offense, definitely respect his opinion.”

The 39-year-old Peetz began his career in the NFL as a scout before becoming an assistant quarterbacks coach for the Jaguars in 2012. He’s also spent time as an offensive assistant for the Washington Commanders, Las Vegas Raiders and Carolina Panthers, and he was LSU’s offensive coordinator and quarterback coach in 2021. However, Peetz has never been a play-caller in the NFL.

“Jake Peetz is a guy that he trusts obviously (when) you hear the way he talked about him, right? It’s familiar. There’s respect there,” Seahawks Radio Network analyst and former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus said. “He spent some time in LA, and I would assume that the challenges that the Rams present a defense (are things) Mike Macdonald respects, because it’s difficult trying to slow these guys down. Even though you slowed it down at times, their concepts are tough. They expand you, condense you. They still run the football. They have one of the better running games in the NFL. Peetz has been around that and he’s been around (Macdonald).

“So I completely understand it, and that’s what you do as a head coach is that you develop these relationships. You develop relationships, you gain depth in that Rolodex and you rock with people that are like you, that work as hard as you, that sees the game the way that you do. So if he were to hire in-house, I’d be completely fine with that, and Jake Peetz is a name that we’ve heard.”

Wes Phillips

Wes Phillips is another candidate who hasn’t been a play-caller in the NFL, but he brings about as solid of a pedigree to the table as any candidate as a third-generation coach in the league. Phillips is the grandson of former Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints head coach Bum Phillips, and the son of longtime NFL defensive coordinator and head coach Wade Phillips. Wes Phillips is currently serving in his third season as Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator under head coach Kevin O’Connell, who calls the plays for the Vikings’ offense.

Phillips, who turns 46 years old next month, served under McVay in Los Angeles as the Rams’ tight ends coach from 2019-2021, adding the role of passing game coordinator in his final season. He’s also made stops with the Commanders and Dallas Cowboys.

“(He has) 18 years of experience. He’s been a passing coordinator and a tight ends coach, as well. He understands the box,” Bumpus said. “The reason why I like that name is obviously what they’re doing in Minnesota, but he’s also been a tight ends coach. When you’re a tight ends coach, you understand the box, you understand leverage, you understand how to make plays.”

Mark Brunell

A former UW Huskies quarterback and three-time Pro Bowler, Mark Brunell is in his fourth season as the Detroit Lions’ quarterbacks coach. The 54-year-old Brunell doesn’t have any prior NFL coaching experience beyond his four years in Detroit, but he’s spent the past three of those working under offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, one of the hottest head coaching candidates in the league. Brunell also spent 19 seasons in the NFL and led the league in passing yards in 1996.

“You got to look for guys who are going to take a step up,” Bumpus said. “Mark Brunell has been over there for three years. He’s been part of the development of that culture over there with (Lions head coach) Dan Campbell. He understands what it looks like for a team to have a whole bunch of young guys, no one’s counting on them, develop them and lets go. And quarterbacks got to understand the box.”

Kevin Patullo

Kevin Patullo is in his fourth season as Philadelphia Eagles passing game coordinator and second as the team’s associated head coach. Patullo works under former Prosser (Wash.) High School standout Kellen Moore, who serves as the Eagles’ play-caller on offense. Patullo, 43, began his coaching career in the NFL at just 26 years old and has serve in various offensive roles during stints with the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts. He was also Geno Smith’s quarterbacks coach with the Jets during the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

“That would be another move for him. Again, (he comes from) a team that knows how to run the football – clearly with Saquan Barkley that’s going to help you – but also understands how to get receivers the ball on the outside,” Bumpus said. “And then you have yourself a quarterback in Jalen Hurts that he’s helped develop.”

Listen to the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Hear Bump and Stacy live from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports. Click here for podcasts of every show.