Seahawks fire offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb after 1 season
RENTON, Wash. - The Seattle Seahawks on Monday fired offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.
Head Coach Mike Macdonald confirmed the news on his weekly radio interview on Seattle Sports after it was first reported by ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
"It's really as simple as I felt like the direction our offense was going was different than the vision that I had for our team," Macdonald said in an interview with Seattle Sports 710 AM on Monday. "Felt like it was a necessary decision at this point. Ryan is a heck of a football coach. We did some really great things on offense this year. Geno (Smith) had a bunch of career-highs throwing the ball and we did some really cool situation stuff. I know Jax(on) Smith-Njigba had a great year. So we did a lot of great things.
"It's just my vision for our offense, I think, is ultimately just different than where Ryan thought it was going. So we respect the heck out of him. We wish him the best. These are tough decisions to make. These are really tough decisions to make, but the team comes first and just felt like it was best for the team."
Grubb, 48, spent just one season with the Seahawks. He was previously part of the University of Washington Huskies coaching staff.
Seattle won ten games this season but still missed the playoffs. The Seahawks went 10-7 in their first year with Macdonald at the helm.
Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb of the Seattle Seahawks looks on during practice at Virginia Mason Athletic Center on June 03, 2024 in Renton, Washington. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
No starting skill position players on offense spoke with reporters during final locker room clean out on Monday morning. However, Smith had spoken in support of Grubb after Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Rams.
"I think Grubb is an excellent coordinator and an even better man," Smith said. "Our first year, obviously, there were some ups and downs. There were some things that we can improve on and we'll work hard to get those things fixed, but I believe in this system. I believe this is a really good system and it's going to be really good for a long time. I think Grubb has exactly what it takes to be a great coordinator in this league. It's his first year. You have to give the guy some grace. He's figuring things out too. I thought he did an outstanding job leading the group. I love the passion that he brings to the game, and he made me a better quarterback."
Seahawks players found out about the decision early Monday as well and were still processing the news when asked about the move by reporters.
"I don't really have (thoughts) yet, because I found out about 35 minutes ago," right tackle Abe Lucas said. "So, I mean, obviously, I hold no animosity or ill will towards Grubb. I think Grubb's a good coach and good what he does and wherever he ends up next, he'll be successful."
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.
The play of the offensive line was a constant struggle for Seattle all season and contributed to the offensive issues overall. However, the offense wasn't able to deal with those issues effectively enough to create balance with a rushing attack to take the weight off Smith's shoulders.
If you remove quarterback scrambles from the equation, the Seahawks effectively had a pass-run ratio of around 68-32 this season. That doesn't feel like the type of split Macdonald wants to have as part of his offense.
Every major coaching post this season with Seattle was held by a first-time coach in their given role. Macdonald, Grubb, defensive coordinator Aden Durde, and special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh were all getting their first chance at these jobs in the NFL this season.
It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Seahawks elect for some more experience at offensive coordinator this time around.
"We're going to open it up," Macdonald said of the upcoming search on Seattle Sports 710. "We're going to do our research and be thorough with it. We want to be efficient, we want to move quickly, but we want to be smart as well. We're just looking for the right fit on the type of person that's going to come in and lead our offense. Not that we weren't aligned with Ryan, but definitely looking for alignment and shared vision about how we want to operate."
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