Seahawks' Macdonald on Smith, new OC search

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GLENDALE, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 8: Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald on the sidelines during the second quarter of a game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on December 8, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Mike Christy / Getty Images)

RENTON, Wash. - Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald expanded on his decision to fire offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, and threw his support behind quarterback Geno Smith during his season-ending press conference on Tuesday.

Macdonald furthered his comments from a radio show appearance on Monday about the decision to fire Grubb being about frustration with where the offense had been heading.

"Really it just was just an alignment thing and a vision thing, and that's how we made the decision," Macdonald said.

Grubb was hired by Macdonald to serve as his offensive coordinator last February after a fantastic two-year run as the offensive coordinator for the University of Washington under head coach Kalen DeBoer. Grubb had joined DeBoer in moving to the University of Alabama in January before the chance to move to the NFL and return to Seattle with the Seahawks came about under Macdonald.

But the partnership soured during the year with Macdonald becoming displeased with the way the unit was being ran under Grubb's leadership.

"It just didn't manifest itself the way that we expected. The way the offense, the direction that was going, it just wasn't the way that I want it to go," Macdonald said.

Geno Smith set new career-highs and franchise records for attempts (578), completions (407), yards (4,320) and completion percentage (70.42). The Seahawks finished 18th in points scored, 14th in yards per game, and 8th in passing yards per game. However, their rushing attack was fifth-worst in the NFL, averaging just 95.7 yards per game. Additionally, Smith was sacked 50 times, which is third-most in the league, and led the league in red zone interceptions with four.

The pass-heavy nature of the offense is seemingly one of the areas that doesn't align with Macdonald's vision. If you remove quarterback scrambles from the equation, the Seahawks effectively had a pass-run ratio of around 68-32 this season.

Macdonald said the win in Arizona over the Cardinals was more the style of game he wanted to see, which saw the team rush for 176 yards with a balanced run-pass attack.

"I thought that was one of our best games of the year," Macdonald said. "So that's what we're shooting for as a football team is just play better complimentary ball in all three phases. Offensively was great, we ran for a bunch of yards, and I felt like we took care of the line of scrimmage and that Geno played fast."

But the Seahawks didn't play that way nearly as often as Macdonald would have liked this year. Some of that comes down to the very real struggles of the offensive line that plagued the team for much of the year, but there were more opportunities to run the ball and balance out the offense than the team executed.

So now the search is on for a new coordinator. Macdonald said that there aren't currently any internal candidates for the job, so the team will be seeking someone outside the organization. They have already submitted a few interview requests to teams this week, but Macdonald wouldn't say who they've asked to speak to.

"It's not a specific, it's not like this like, ‘hey, they have to have A, B and C. We want to have an open mind. We want to try to find the best fit for our football team and the guys we have on on offense right now," Macdonald said of what they’re looking for in a candidate.

Macdonald also didn't rule out more changes to the coaching staff. Those decisions will be up to the new coordinator as he'll be given the agency to build out his own coaching staff.

"When you decide to bring in a new coordinator, there's probably going to be some movement with it, because we want our new coordinator to feel like they have a lot of influence in their staff. So we might have some movement when that happens, and we might not," Macdonald said.

Macdonald said he believes the coordinator job should be highly attractive given the Seahawks' organizational track record and the players they'd get to work with.

"Man, I mean, I think it's a heck of a job," Macdonald said. "I mean, it starts with the organization. I mean, all the things that, all the reasons why I felt like this is such a great place to be has been backed up, you know, tenfold. So that starts there. And then our players are really the next bet. I mean, shoot, we got great players, man. I mean, got a great young core. I mean, shoot, I think it's a heck of a job. I think it's the best job out there."

One of those players is quarterback Geno Smith.

Macdonald remained consistent in his evaluation of Smith's season, praising the quarterback for his play this year for the Seahawks.

"We did a lot of really good things and one of those things is Geno's productivity, and this is something that I'm looking forward to building off of," Macdonald said. "I thought he had a really good year. We had a conversation yesterday, but the feeling you get was proud of the things we did, but felt like, you know, we could have done a better job as an offense, as a team and put ourselves in a position going to the tournament to go make a run at this thing."

Smith finished the season in the top-5 in the NFL in passing yards (4,320, 4th), completion percentage (70.4%, 5th), fourth-quarter comebacks (4, T2), and game-winning drives (4, T4). However, his 15 interceptions were also third-most in the NFL this season, with the four red zone interceptions leading the league.

While several of those interceptions – especially in the second half of the year – were on a few poor decisions and forced throws, some of it can be attributed to the sheer inability to balance the offense with the running game and the weight placed upon Smith to move the offense.

"It's everybody, right?" Macdonald said. "It's putting ourselves in those situations and clarity on the reads, Geno making the correct decisions in real time, guys being in the right spots. It's overall, how much kind of are we putting on his plate on a play-in, play-out basis. I think all that stuff goes into it, and we're going to look to build on those situations, because some of those came in the red zone and those are critical interceptions that we're going to want back."

Smith has one year left on his current contract and is expected to be seeking a contract extension this offseason. Smith is currently set to make a non-guaranteed $31 million next year with a salary cap number of $44.5 million, per OverTheCap.com. He added $6 million in salary escalators by hitting benchmarks for yards, completion percentage and wins in the season finale against the Los Angeles Rams. That adds to a $10 million roster bonus that Smith was already scheduled to earn on March 20.

A contract extension would be able to lower Smith's contract number for next year. He's been earning an average of $25 million a season on his currently deal and would likely be looking for between $35-45 million a year on a new contract.

Macdonald said he will be involved in those discussions, but the team has the final say on that front. However, he said he wants Smith to be the quarterback moving forward.

"I want Geno to be here. I think he's a heck of a player," Macdonald said. "The first thing always comes back for what's best for the team? I feel like Geno is best for the team right now. … Gino knows how we feel about him, and we love him as our starting quarterback for sure."