Grant Udinski to have 2nd interview with Seahawks

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - September 19: Minnesota Vikings assistant to the head coach/special projects Grant Udinski stands on the sideline against the Philadelphia Eagles during a game at Lincoln Financial Field on September 19, 2022 in Philadelphia, Penns (Perry Knotts / Getty Images)

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The Seattle Seahawks are conducting a second interview with Minnesota Vikings assistant coach Grant Udinski for their vacant offensive coordinator position, per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network.

Udinski was set to interview the team in-person on Friday after conducting a virtual interview earlier this week. Udinski is the second candidate to receive a second interview with the team. New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak had a second interview earlier this week.

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Udinski, 28, has spent the last three seasons with the Vikings coaching staff. He joined the team as an assistant to head coach Kevin O'Connell in charge of special projects before becoming an assistant quarterbacks coach in 2023.

Udinski followed Matt Rhule from Baylor University to the Carolina Panthers in 2020 after spending a season as a graduate assistant for the Bears. He spent two years as a coaching assistant for the Panthers before leaving to join the Vikings coaching staff in 2022.

A native of Doylestown, Pa., Udinski played one season as a tight end at Davidson College before transferring to Towson University in 2016. He spent three years at Towson as a defensive end before getting into coaching at Baylor in 2019.

However, the second interview with Udinski wasn't the only development on the coordinator front.

Seahawks interview Byron Leftwich.

ATLANTA, GA JANUARY 08: Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady (12) and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich talk prior to the start of the NFL game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons on January 8th, 2023 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in At (Rich von Biberstein / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images)

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According to a report from Jonathan Jones of CBSSports.com, the Seahawks also recently interviewed former NFL quarterback and Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich for the position.

Leftwich, 45, hasn't coached since he was let go by the Buccaneers at the end of the 2022 season. He's spent five total seasons as an offensive coordinator in the NFL – four with the Buccaneers and one with the Arizona Cardinals.

Leftwich was the seventh-overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft after a standout career with Marshall University. Leftwich played 10 seasons in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers and Buccaneers. He then moved into coaching with the Cardinals in 2016 as an intern before progressing up to offensive coordinator in 2018.

Leftwich then followed head coach Bruce Arians to the Buccaneers, where they won Super Bowl LV with Tom Brady as quarterback in 2020. Tampa finished in the top three of the NFL in points scored from 2019-21 with Jamies Winston and Brady as quarterback. Leftwich was let go after one season under head coach Todd Bowles when offensive production fell off after Arians' retirement.

The interview with Leftwich allows the Seahawks to meet compliance requirements with the NFL's Rooney Rule, which requires interviews with at least two minority or female candidates for head coach and coordinator hires. Chicago Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown is also a minority.

The Source: Reports by Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, and Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports.