Seahawks reportedly lining up interviews for head coaching job
INGLEWOOD, CA - SEPTEMBER 08: Los Angeles Rams defensive coach Raheem Morris during the Buffalo Bills game versus the Los Angeles Rams on September 8, 2022, at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Seattle Seahawks are starting to line up candidates to interview for their open head coaching position after making the decision to move on from Pete Carroll after 14 seasons at the helm last week.
A half-dozen candidates have so far been reported to have been requested for interviews by Seattle so far. Per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith, and Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham have been requested for interviews by the Seahawks.
Additionally, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, the Seahawks have requested interviews with Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, and New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.
The "Rooney Rule" requires each NFL team to interview at least two external minority candidates for available head coaching positions. Evero and Morris would both qualify for that requirement for Seattle, though they may not be the only minority candidates Seattle ultimately interviews.
Here's a quick look at each of the six candidates currently connected to the Seahawks' vacancy:
– Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn
Quinn, 53, was the first name to come to mind as a potential fit for the Seahawks. He's very highly regarded by former Seahawks players that played for him when he served as Carroll's defensive coordinator in 2013-14, and as assistant head coach/defensive line coach in 2010-11.
Quinn left to become head coach of the Atlanta Falcons in 2014 and made it to the Super Bowl in 2016. After being let go by the Falcons after the 2020 season, Quinn was hired as the defensive coordinator in Dallas.
Quinn obviously knows many people in the Seahawks' building, including general manager John Schneider and VP of Player Personnel Trent Kirchner. The Cowboys have been a top 10 scoring defense in each of Quinn's three seasons as defensive coordinator, and improved from 19th in total defense in 2021 to fifth this season.
However, the Cowboys getting torched by the Green Bay Packers in their playoff game on Saturday won't leave the best final touch on the resume.
– Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero
Evero, 43, has been a coordinator for the last two years – one with the Panthers and one with the Denver Broncos. Evero has spent 16 of the last 17 years as a coach in the NFL, rising from a quality control coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2007 to defensive coordinator through stops with the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, Broncos and Panthers.
Evero spent five years in total with the Rams as he rose from safeties coach to defensive passing game coordinator before getting the job with Denver in 2022.
Despite coaching on two bad teams overall, the Broncos ranked seventh in yards allowed in 2022, and the Panthers were fourth in 2023. Denver managed just a 5-12 record while Carolina stumbled to a 2-15 mark this year. Former Seahawks VP Scott Fitterer was also the general manager in Carolina this year and would have insights on Evero he could share with Schneider and Kirchner.
– Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith
Smith, 42, has spent the last two years as the Dolphins offensive coordinator under head coach Mike McDaniel. Smith has 14 years of NFL coaching experience, beginning with five years as an assistant offensive line coach with the New Orleans Saints in 2010. He served as a tight ends coach for the Chicago Bears and Raiders, and had a year as an offensive line coach and run game coordinator with the Los Angeles Chargers before landing in Miami.
The Dolphins had the league's best offense in yards gained (401.3 ypg) and second in points scored (29.2 ppg). Miami's use of sprint motions to get a receiver moving right before the snap helped fuel an incredibly productive offensive attack.
– Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham
Graham, 44, has been an NFL defensive coordinator for each of the last five years, with the last two seasons coming with the Raiders.
Graham has been an NFL coach since 2009 when he joined the New England Patriots as a coaching assistant. He spent seven years with the Patriots – which included being a linebackers coach on the team that beat the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX – before joining the Giants as a defensive line coach in 2016. After a one-year stop in Green Bay, Graham became defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins for one year in 2019 before a two-year stint as the Giants defensive coordinator.
The Raiders were ninth in the NFL in points per game (19.5) and 15th in total yards (330.9).
– Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris
Morris, 47, has been the Rams defensive coordinator for the last three years, and has two prior stints as a head coach in the NFL.
Morris has 25 years of NFL coaching experience after starting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002 as a quality control coach. Morris climbed the ranks in Tampa and became the team's head coach in 2009 after the departure of Jon Gruden. Morris spent three seasons as head coach in Tampa, where he posted a 17-31 record as head coach. Morris then took over as interim head coach in Atlanta when Quinn was fired midway through the 2020 season.
The Rams ranked 20th in yards allowed (336.1) and 19th in points this season (22.2).
– New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka
Kafka, 36, is a former NFL quarterback who saw four games with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2011 before jumping into coaching after his playing career ended in 2015.
After a year back at his alma mater – Northwestern – as a graduate assistant, Kafka joined Andy Reid's coaching staff with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017. Kafka became the Chiefs' quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator as he worked alongside Reid, Eric Bieniemy and quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Kafka left Kansas City to take the Giants' coordinator job in 2022. New York surprised a season ago as Daniel Jones had one of the best years of his career as the Giants made the playoffs at 9-7-1. But this year was abysmal for the Giants as they cratered to a 6-11 record with massive strife in the coaching staff reported between head coach Brian Daboll and his assistants.