Ranking Seahawks Head Coaching Candidates

For the first time in 15 years, the Seattle Seahawks have kicked off a search for a new head coach, beginning the interview process this week looking for the best candidates to replace the legendary Pete Carroll on the sidelines.

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday at the VMAC, in the aftermath of Seattle’s decision to move Carroll into an advisory role after 14 seasons, Schneider indicated the organization will cast a “wide net” pursuing a successor.

“Too many is not too many. We’ll handle it just like our free agency process, our draft process. We’re ready in everything, anybody that you can pretty much think of,” Schneider said. “It’s just really been amazing the calls and the notes and everything you get. It’s really a – I don’t want to say a confidence booster – but it’s a great reputation for this organization, a really cool feeling throughout the National Football League of what people think of this organization on the outside. I think people recognize it’s a very intriguing job, and one that you can come in and have a great partnership with everybody here and get rolling. I think people will recognize that.”

So far, the Seahawks have reportedly been linked to nine candidates for interviews ranging from experienced head coaches such as Mike Vrabel to rising youngsters such as Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik to former Carroll assistants such as Dan Quinn, throwing out the aforementioned wide net with no shortage of options.

Which coaches stand out as the best potential options to step into Carroll’s stead on the sidelines for the Seahawks? Weighing pros and cons, here’s my rankings for all nine reported candidates as interviews commence in coming days.

1. Ben Johnson, Lions Offensive Coordinator

Pros: Transforming Detroit’s offense into a juggernaut, Johnson brought out the best in veteran quarterback Jared Goff by implementing an under center, play action-heavy scheme using a variety of personnel groupings while mixing and matching talented running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. As a result, the Lions finished fifth in points scored, second in passing yardage, and fifth in rushing yardage this season, winning 12 games and an NFC North title. They also finished 10th in third down conversion rate and third in red zone touchdown rate, two major areas of concern for the Seahawks in recent seasons.

Under Johnson’s tutelage, Goff ended the 2023 season ranked second in passing yards, fourth in touchdown passes, and seventh in completion percentage. Running behind a top-tier offensive line, Montgomery and Gibbs nearly produced 2,000 combined rushing yards and found the end zone a whopping 23 times as a tandem.

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Cons: The 36-year old Johnson only has two years as a coordinator under his belt and prior to taking his current position in Detroit, he only had served as a position coach or offensive assistant with no prior head coaching experience at lower levels. Any team that hires him will be banking on him being able to handle the abundance of administrative tasks that come with the territory of being a head coach. He also will be tasked with finding the same offensive success elsewhere without one of the best offensive lines in the league.

2. Frank Smith, Dolphins Offensive Coordinator

Pros: A seasoned veteran in the NFL coaching ranks, Smith has successfully donned a number of hats in the league. As an assistant offensive line coach in New Orleans, the Saints finished with the third-fewest sacks allowed from 2010 to 2014. Following six seasons as a tight end coach in Chicago in Oakland, as offensive line coach and run game coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers, his presence helped the team finish tied for sixth in fewest sacks allowed.

Taking over as offensive coordinator in Miami under coach Mike McDaniel two years ago, Smith oversaw one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses with an emphasis on hammering home fundamentals while being a key contributor in orchestrating in-game adjustments. Along with being ranked second in scoring, the Dolphins tallied the second-most passing yards and sixth-most rushing yards while finishing in the top 10 in third down and red zone efficiency.

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Cons: While Smith had the title of offensive coordinator in Miami, McDaniel was the one who called plays, creating some questions about how much he truly factored into the team’s immense success over the past two years putting points on the board. He also has never been a head coach at any level and like Johnson, only has two years as an NFL offensive coordinator on his resume.

3. Mike Vrabel, Former Titans Head Coach

Pros: Checking off boxes as both a respected leader and culture builder, Vrabel turned the Titans into one of the AFC’s best teams in his first four seasons on the sideline. Anchored by a bruising run game and opportunistic defense, Tennessee won 41 regular season games during that span, won two AFC South titles, and advanced to a surprising AFC Championship Game berth in 2019, reaching heights the franchise hadn’t seen for nearly two decades.

Injuries and personnel losses piled up in Vrabel’s final two seasons, hurting the team in the win/loss column with a pair of losing seasons. But through those struggles, his players continued to scrap and battle hard for him, including knocking the Jacksonville out of the playoffs in Week 18 earlier this month.

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Cons: Though turmoil in the front office played a part in Tennessee’s steep regression over the past two seasons, including inexplicably trading away star receiver A.J. Brown to Philadelphia, Vrabel isn’t without blame either. His team struggled to develop young replacements on both sides of the football, including a once-dominant offensive line, which factored into the team finishing 27th in scoring offense. As a defensive-minded coach, his team also finished 14th or worse in scoring defense three of his final four seasons.

4. Patrick Graham, Raiders Defensive Coordinator

Pros: Heralding from Bill Belichick’s coaching tree in New England, Graham earned his coaching chops as a linebacker and defensive line coach in 10 seasons with the Patriots, Giants, and Packers before finally receiving a chance to call his own defense. Though his first stint as a defensive coordinator failed miserably with the Dolphins in 2019, he bounced back by leading a ninth-ranked scoring defense with the Giants the following season, putting his name on the radar as a head coaching candidate.

Two years later, Graham joined the Raiders in the same role under then-coach Josh McDaniels. Following a somewhat disappointing first season as coordinator, his players rallied around him after McDaniels received a midseason pink slip in favor of interim coach Antonio Pierce, surrendering fewer than 20 points in six of the team’s final nine games as they narrowly missed out on a playoff berth. A strong leader who has the players in his corner, he would be a popular locker room candidate.

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Cons: In five seasons as a defensive coordinator, while Graham found moderate success with New York and Las Vegas, his overall resume as a play caller has underwhelmed. In three of his five seasons as a play caller, his defenses have ranked 23rd or worse in scoring and they have never finished better than 12th in passing defense, failing to demonstrate the consistency teams will want from a prospective head coach.

5. Bobby Slowik, Texans Offensive Coordinator

Pros: Well-traveled with 14 years of NFL experience under his belt, Slowik served as an apprentice for current 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan in Washington and San Francisco, holding positions as a coach on both sides of the football before joining Demeco Ryan’s staff in Houston as a first-time offensive coordinator. Proving to be a dynamite pairing with rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, he helped the second overall pick throw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns with just five interceptions while guiding the Texans to an AFC South title and a wild card win.

Well-versed in passing concepts and attacking different coverages thanks to his diverse coaching background, Slowik exhibited a knack for adaptation by keeping Houston’s offense humming after losing standout rookie receiver Tank Dell to a season-ending injury. Even without a top-20 run game, the group has remained potent with Stroud at the controls, including scoring 31 points on offense against a talented Cleveland defense to open the postseason.

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Cons: As great as Slowik has been in his first season as a coordinator, he’s even more untested than Johnson or Smith with only one year at any level serving as a play caller. Due to that limited experience, even with his background learning under a top-tier football mind such as Shanahan, hiring him as a first-time head coach would be a risky play for the majority of teams.

6. Raheem Morris, Rams Defensive Coordinator

Pros: Popular with players and highly regarded by his peers for his football acumen, Morris has come a long way since being a defensive quality control coach for the Buccaneers’ 2002 Super Bowl squad. Serving as an assistant head coach to Dan Quinn in Atlanta for five seasons after three seasons as Tampa Bay’s head coach, he worked as a pass game coordinator on both sides of the ball during his time with the team, helping the Falcons advance to the Super Bowl in 2016. He later took Quinn’s place as an interim coach during the 2020 season before latching on with the Rams as a defensive coordinator, capturing his second Lombardi Trophy in 2021.

Though Los Angeles lost in the wild card round earlier this month, the 2023 season may have been Morris’ most impressive coaching feat yet. After losing numerous starters from the Super Bowl team, including pass rusher Leonard Floyd, All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and safety Taylor Rapp, the Rams finished a respectable 19th in scoring defense with a bunch of unproven youngsters thrown into the lineup, helping guide the team to a strong 10-7 bounce back campaign.

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Cons: Morris deserves props for expanding his horizons by continuing to learn under Quinn and Rams coach Sean McVay and his personality meshes well with players, which is half the battle for a head coach. But he has only fielded a top-10 defense once as a defensive coordinator with three different teams and in the past four seasons with the Falcons and Rams, his defenses have finished 19th or worse in scoring defense three times, creating questions about whether or not he would be the answer for teams like the Seahawks seeking extra juice on that side of the ball.

7. Dan Quinn, Cowboys Defensive Coordinator

Pros: Viewed as the favorite to supplant Carroll immediately after Seattle decided to oust him from the head coaching spot, Quinn’s previous ties to the organization understandably loom large. Spending two separate stints with the franchise, he took over for Gus Bradley as defensive coordinator in 2013 and the team finished first in scoring defense in both of his seasons holding that role, reaching the Super Bowl each time. Capitalizing on that success, he took over as Atlanta’s head coach and advanced his team to the Super Bowl two years later.

Since being fired by the Falcons midway through the 2020 season, Quinn has rebuilt his value as a head coaching candidate by building a defensive juggernaut in Dallas. In all three seasons as a defensive coordinator for the Cowboys, they have finished seventh or better in scoring defense, including ranking fifth in that category in 2023. Away from his Xs and Os acumen, he has been integral to the development of several young stars such as Micah Parsons and Daron Bland.

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Cons: Whether fair or not, Quinn’s defenses have not performed well in the playoffs for the Cowboys, including getting gashed for 41 points by the Packers in the wild card round last weekend. One game shouldn’t decide whether or not he deserves a second chance as a head coach, but considering how much Dallas struggled defensively against teams with winning records this past season, teams such as Seattle should tread lightly and make sure to do due diligence before handing him the keys.

8. Mike Kafka, Giants Offensive Coordinator

Pros: Putting his name on the map as a rising young assistant under Andy Reid, Kafka transitioned from a brief playing career in the NFL into a graduate assistant role at Northwestern before Kansas City hired him as quarterback coach. Working in tandem with Reid and then-offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, he helped transform Patrick Mahomes into one of the league’s best quarterbacks in five years with the organization, quickly drawing attention from other teams.

Looking to take the next step in his progression towards becoming a head coach, Kafka left the Chiefs to take over as offensive coordinator on Giants coach Brian Daboll’s staff. Bringing out the best in dual-threat quarterback Daniel Jones in his first season with the franchise, his guidance paved the way for them to finish 16th in scoring offense and snag a wild card spot out of the rugged NFC East.

Cons: Whether fair or not, Kafka isn’t entering this year’s coaching carousel riding the same wave of momentum as he had a year ago. Even before Jones’ season ended with a torn ACL, New York’s offense turned into a burning dumpster fire seemingly overnight and while he deserves credit for coaxing a few good games out of undrafted rookie Tommy Devito, a 29th ranked offense and no head coaching experience will be huge red flags for Seattle and other interested teams.

9. Ejiro Evero, Panthers Defensive Coordinator

Pros: Breaking into the NFL coaching ranks in his mid-20s, Evero has been exposed to some of the best defensive minds in the game, starting with legendary defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin in Tampa Bay. After three seasons as a defensive quality control coach with the Buccaneers, he transitioned into an offensive assistant position working for Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco, eventually flipping back to defense in 2014. Continuing to sharpen his craft, he excelled as a safeties coach and defensive pass game coordinator for the Rams, turning a five-year stint into his first defensive coordinator job with the Broncos.

In his lone season in Denver, Evero’s defense finished seventh in total yardage and 14th in points, keeping the team in games despite an underperforming offense that ranked near the bottom of the league in points. With a new staff coming to the Mile High City, he took the same job on Frank Reich’s staff in Carolina, guiding the team to a fourth-place finish in total yardage allowed.

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Cons: Evero brings a wealth of experience working for some of the best coaches in the sport, but questions remain about his qualifications for a head coaching job. The Broncos unraveled on defense in his season as coordinator, giving up 27 or more points in four of their final five games, while the Panthers ranked 29th in scoring defense and were dead last in sacks and turnovers last season. Coaching under interim coaches hasn’t helped, but many of his peers have simply gotten more out of their units, which will make for some tough questions from Seattle and other interested parties in interviews.