Seahawks Well-Positioned to Land Quality Head Coach as Other Vacancies Fill Quickly

As the Seattle Seahawks continue their second wave of head coach interviews meeting with Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn on Thursday, the organization should be pleased with how dominos have fallen so far in regard to other coaching vacancies thus far.

While Seattle may have had interest in speaking with former assistant Dave Canales, who reportedly will take Carolina’s head coaching job, he never appeared to truly be on the radar for a return to the Pacific Northwest. Neither was Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, a former NFC West arch nemesis who accepted the Los Angeles Chargers coaching position on Wednesday.

What does that mean for general manager John Schneider and chair Jody Allen? After slow playing the process to find a replacement for Pete Carroll, only the Commanders and Falcons have yet to hire a new head coach, leaving no shortage of quality candidates for the Seahawks to pursue and providing a bit more flexibility to take their time ensuring they make the right hire.

Mike Macdonald has yet to interview with the Seahawks, but the Ravens rising defensive coordinator may still be one of their top targets as the search to replace Pete Carroll unfolds. © Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

None of the five reported candidates who Seattle lined up for second interviews, including Quinn, who served as Carroll’s defensive coordinator in 2013 and 2014 when the team advanced to back-to-back Super Bowls, has received a job offer from another team. Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, and Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka all remain available as viable options.

Several other candidates who met with the Seahawks during their initial wave of interviews, including coveted Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, have yet to sign the dotted line and accept another coaching job. Johnson currently is prepping for the NFC Championship Game and can’t be interviewed again until January 29, but the team could speak with Dolphins coordinator Frank Smith or Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik again with their teams being eliminated from the playoffs.

Seattle also has been linked to former Tennessee head coach Mike Vrabel, who has interviewed with Atlanta and Los Angeles during this coaching carousel cycle. At this time, however, no official interview has been reported, so he remains in the peripheral as a possibility right now and could work back into the mix as a contender.

As far as wild cards go, Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald hasn’t been hired by another team, but the Seahawks will have to wait things out if they intend to interview him for their vacancy. Due to the timing of Carroll’s ouster coming three days after the end of the regular season, the team had little time to put in an interview request for him earlier this month and didn’t meet with him.

Until Baltimore is eliminated or wins the Super Bowl next month, Schneider and Allen won’t be able to speak with him, which means January 29 is the absolute earliest they could schedule an interview. Earlier reports indicated Seattle had interest in Macdonald, but it remains to be seen whether that interest is mutual and if the franchise plans to wait for a chance to pursue him.

Set to wrap up second interviews by the end of this week, depending how the Ravens and Lions fare on championship weekend, the Seahawks could potentially have a second visit with Johnson and/or a first interview with Macdonald on tap. If both of those teams advance to face off in the Super Bowl, Johnson will be the only interview option in a limited window and they would have to wait on Macdonald.

In summation, if Seattle’s coaching search functioned like the NFL draft, Schneider and Allen would have all of their names still available on the big board. None of the coaches hired in the past week by other teams were interviewed or even mentioned as a target of interest, putting them in outstanding position to hire the best candidate from their short list of coaches.

Making the situation even better, the Seahawks have now vetted several potential offensive and defensive coordinator candidates who could join the new head coach’s staff if they don’t land the position, which would be a major win for the organization.

With just three coaching spots left to fill, all eyes will be on the Seahawks to see how long they are willing to wait things out to court Johnson or Macdonald. Or if Schneider and Allen won’t need to wait any longer with a candidate such as Quinn or Morris impressing in second interviews and receiving a job offer in the near future. Or if someone such as Vrabel vaults back into the mix and steals the gig.

Either way, all of Seattle’s cards remain in play, which should make for a fascinating next few weeks as the franchise decides who will succeed Carroll and carry the franchise into a new era.