RENTON, WA – With Pete Carroll stepping down as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, the team will look for a new coach for the first time since 2010.
General manager John Schneider will be charged with identifying Carroll’s replacement as he takes complete leadership of the front office after working under Carroll for the previous 14 seasons.
Dan Quinn, the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator, is one of the most easily associated names with the opening.
Quinn served on Carroll’s coaching staff for the Seahawks for four years, split between two stints. He was one of the few holdovers from Jim Mora’s coaching staff when Carroll took over in 2010. Quinn worked as Carroll’s associate head coach/defensive line coach for two years before leaving to become the defensive coordinator at the University of Florida. Quinn returned to Seattle in 2013 as Carroll’s defensive coordinator when Gus Bradley left to become the Jacksonville Jaguars’ head coach.
During his two years as defensive coordinator, the Seahawks made consecutive Super Bowl appearances and earned their first Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.
Quinn left to become head coach of the Atlanta Falcons in 2014, and the team reached the Super Bowl in 2016. After being fired by the Falcons following the 2020 season, Quinn was hired as Dallas’ defensive coordinator.
Quinn undoubtedly knows a lot of individuals in the Seahawks’ organization, including Schneider and VP of Player Personnel Trent Kirchner. The Cowboys have been a top ten scoring defense in each of Quinn’s three seasons as defensive coordinator, rising from 19th in total defense in 2021 to seventh this season.
However, Quinn is unlikely to be the only candidate on the Seahawks’ radar.
The “Rooney Rule” mandates that each NFL team examine at least two external minority applicants for open head coaching vacancies. So the team will be required to speak with at least two such prospects.
The Seahawks’ hiring process is still in its early stages, thus none of the names listed below are officially related to the position. However, these are candidates that the team should evaluate for various reasons. There is no intimate knowledge (yet) about these possibilities.
– Mike Vrabel, the former Tennessee Titans head coach
If Pete Carroll’s departure from the Seahawks is the most shocking coaching change of the offseason, Vrabel’s departure from the Titans comes in close second.
Vrabel won the AP NFL Coach of the Year Award in 2021 after leading the Titans to the AFC Championship game. But after two consecutive losing seasons, owner Amy Adams Strunk decided to take a different approach. Vrabel went 56-48 overall over his six seasons with the Titans, including a 2-3 record in the playoffs.
– Mike Macdonald, the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator
With the Seahawks needing to address a number of defensive flaws, hiring the coordinator of the league’s best defense would seem logical.
This season, Macdonald’s Ravens held six opponents to 10 points or fewer, including the Seahawks. Their 16.5 points per game allowed was more than the Kansas City Chiefs’ 17.3 and the San Francisco 49ers’ 17.5.
– Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson
If we’re going to discuss one of the best defensive coordinators, we should also mention one of the best offensive coordinators.
Johnson has been the offensive coordinator in Detroit for the previous two seasons, and he has helped quarterback Jared Goff have two of his greatest seasons. Over the last two years, the Lions have placed sixth in points per game, with two top five finishes in overall offense.
– Jim Harbaugh, University of Michigan’s head coach
In 2010, the Seahawks made a great decision by hiring Carroll as their college coach. After winning the National Championship with Michigan earlier this week, there has been continual speculation that Harbaugh is exploring for NFL options.
It would be an interesting hire for the Seahawks in some ways, given that Harbaugh was the former head coach of the San Francisco 49ers during Carroll’s tenure in Seattle. With Carroll and Harbaugh’s enmity for each other dating back to their coaching days at USC and Stanford, Harbaugh replacing Carroll in Seattle would be very amusing.
But Harbaugh is undeniably an excellent coach. Despite his background as an NFL quarterback, his teams have always had excellent defenses.
– Kalen DeBoer, University of Washington’s head coach
If the National Championship-winning head coach isn’t interested in the job, the runner-up might be.
DeBoer has had two outstanding seasons as head coach of the Washington Huskies since taking over in 2022. DeBoer guided UW to a 25-3 record during that time, winning the final Pac-12 Championship in December and going to the title game against Harbaugh’s Michigan team.
DeBoer may not want to leave Washington or play professionally, but his track record of success and solid offensive background make him an appealing candidate for the Seahawks. If he does make the jump, he may be able to continue teaching Michael Penix Jr. at the next level.
– Brian Flores, the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator
It’s far easier to discover cutting-edge ideas from offensively minded coaches, but Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores could be one of the more imaginative alternatives on the defensive side of the ball right now.
According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, Flores introduced a collegiate defensive strategy to the Vikings that he adopted from Pat Narduzzi, head coach of the University of Pittsburgh. It aided the Vikings’ defensive performance for much of the season following a period of adjustment to the new plan. Then quarterback injuries piled up, and the team’s performance plummeted.
Flores also served as the Miami Dolphins’ head coach from 2019 to 2021, although he was reportedly sacked for failing to comply with owner Stephen Ross’ tanking order. Flores is suing the NFL over the matter, which may discourage other teams from hiring him as a head coach.
