RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Pete Carroll had plans to become head coach of the Seattle Seahawks next season, and he made his case in his end-of-season meetings with owners in recent days to stay in that role.
“I wanted to make sure I was committed to all of our coaches and players and the things we accomplished,” Carroll said during an emotional news conference Wednesday afternoon at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. “Not so we can continue to be coaches, but so we can continue to have a chance to be successful and keep the organization going. I fought for this. In this regard, I represented this in our discussions.
“We got to a good, clean place where it made sense and (I) followed their intentions.”
Instead of running the show for a 15th season, Carroll will watch as general manager John Schneider eventually takes full control of the organization.
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“He's been sitting there waiting for his chance for 14 years and he deserves it and he's great at what he does,” Carroll said. “He deserves this moment. I cheered him on. That was the biggest factor… it was about making sure he could get that opportunity and he's going to take advantage of it and I was going to do everything I could to help him succeed.”
Schneider attended Carroll's press conference but was not available to the media (team owner Jody Allen was not present). Carroll gave no details about his future role – “We'll figure it out,” he said – but made it clear that he will have no influence on the choice of his successor.
“I support John,” Carroll said.
Schneider has never hired a head coach before, so it's unclear where he will go with his decision. He could try to team up with someone from Carroll's coaching staff and retain some of the cultural and schematic elements that have made Seattle so successful over the last 14 years. Or Schneider could make a hire that takes the organization in a completely different direction.
Before we look at some potential candidates, here are some important rules for hiring coaches:
- To meet the Rooney Rule, teams must conduct an in-person interview with at least two external candidates who are people of color and/or women. Virtual interviews do not meet the requirements of the Rooney Rule.
- Virtual initial interviews with candidates employed by another NFL team are permitted through January 21st. Starting January 22, teams will be able to conduct in-person interviews with candidates employed by other NFL teams whose seasons have ended.
- Also beginning Jan. 22, teams will not be able to conduct initial interviews with candidates employed by teams participating in the AFC and NFC championship games until the end of the employer team's season. Second interviews are only possible on January 29th.
Now to the candidates.
Dan Quinn, Cowboys defensive coordinator
Quinn was Carroll's defensive line coach in 2010 and later coordinated the team that won the championship in 2013 and the team that lost the Super Bowl in 2014. He then moved to the Falcons and led them to the Super Bowl in 2016, where they lost in overtime to the Patriots. Quinn has been the Cowboys' defensive coordinator since 2021, and Dallas' defense ranked third in expected points added during his tenure (all stats courtesy of TruMedia unless otherwise noted).
He has already been interviewed by the Chargers, Commanders, Panthers and Titans, having interviewed eight times for head coaching jobs over the last two offseasons (five in 2022, three in 2023) before deciding to stay with Dallas . Quinn's Cowboys host the Packers on Sunday.
Dave Canales, Buccaneers offensive coordinator
Canales followed Carroll from USC to Seattle and wore many hats before heading to Tampa Bay after the 2022 season. He spent time as the Seahawks' receivers coach, passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach (twice) before finally getting the opportunity to run his own offense.
The Bucs ranked 17th in points per drive and expected additional points per game (worse than Seattle in both categories) as they won the NFC South for the third straight year. After moving from the Browns to the Panthers and then to the Rams, quarterback Baker Mayfield earned the starting job in Tampa Bay and had a productive season. The 2018 No. 1 pick ranked 14th in EPA per dropback — tied with Geno Smith — while also having the 10th-highest touchdown rate to the 10th-lowest interception rate.
The Panthers have requested an interview with Canales, whose Bucs host the Eagles on Monday night.
Former head coaches
Steve Wilks, 49ers defensive coordinator
Wilks was the Cardinals' head coach when they were 3-13 in 2018 with Sam Bradford and Josh Rosen at quarterback. Matt Rhule hired him to be Carolina's defensive coordinator in 2022, and when Rhule was fired midway through the year, Wilks became interim coach and led the team to a 6-6 record – mostly with Sam Darnold at quarterback and without Christian McCaffrey at running back – which included a win over the Seahawks. Many Panthers players lobbied for Wilks to be named permanent coach (the owner chose Frank Reich, who has since been fired).
Wilks replaced DeMeco Ryans in San Francisco and his defense caused all sorts of problems for Seattle – as well as the rest of the league – this season. The 49ers ranked in the top six in limiting explosive plays, forced turnovers and points per game. They ranked 12th in EPA per game.
The Chargers have requested an interview with Wilks. San Francisco has a bye to start the playoffs.
Leslie Frazier
Frazier was most recently the Bills' defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2022. During that time, Buffalo ranked second in explosive play rate, second in EPA per game, and third in point defense. Frazier, 64, was Minnesota's head coach from 2010 to 2013, going 21-32-1. Adrian Peterson's MVP year in 2012 was Frazier's only winning season (the Vikings had a 10-6 record). It ended in a wild card loss to the Packers. The Chargers will reportedly interview Frazier on Sunday.
Mike Vrabel
Vrabel, 48, was fired this week after leading the Tennessee Titans for six seasons. He posted a 54-45 regular season record and led the Titans to AFC South titles in 2020 and 2021. Tennessee lost to the Ravens in the wild card round of the 2020 playoffs and was assigned the No. 1 seed to the Bengals in 2021. Vrabel is 2-3 in the playoffs, with both wins coming in 2019.
The Titans finished with losing records the last two seasons, although Vrabel is expected to be highly sought after this recruiting cycle.
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Jim Harbaugh, Michigan head coach
Harbaugh had a 44-19-1 record as head coach of the 49ers from 2011 to 2014 and was on the receiving end of some legendary matchups with Carroll's Seahawks, most notably the 2013 NFC Championship Game, which preceded Seattle's only Super Bowl victory. He won the NFC West twice, appeared in three conference championship games and narrowly lost the 2012 Super Bowl to his brother, John Harbaugh of the Ravens.
Harbaugh, 60, is 89-25 at Michigan and just beat the Washington Huskies in the national championship on Monday. Harbaugh has already been linked to multiple teams and is expected to be in high demand this recruiting cycle. He was a successful head coach in his last three stops (he was at Stanford before joining the 49ers).
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Potential new coaches (attack)
Eric Bieniemy, Commander's offensive coordinator
Bieniemy, 54, won two championships as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator. Kansas City had the league's best offense during that span (2018-22). In his only season as Commanders coordinator, they ranked 25th in points per game and EPA per game. Commanders coach Ron Rivera was fired Monday, and team owner Josh Harris has said they are considering Bieniemy as Rivera's replacement but want to hire a general manager first.
While in Kansas City, Bieniemy applied to nearly half the league for a head coaching job. He has not yet been invited for an interview this cycle, or at least no inquiries have been reported.
Ben Johnson, Lions offensive coordinator
Johnson was the Lions' offensive coordinator for the past two seasons. The Lions rank fourth in points per game and fifth in EPA per game. After Sean McVay and the Rams gave up Jared Goff in the deal that brought them Matthew Stafford, Goff looked much better in Johnson's system. Over the last two seasons, Goff ranked sixth in EPA per dropback.
Johnson is one of the hottest coaches this cycle. He has already been approached for interviews by the Chargers, Commanders, Panthers and Titans, after completing two interviews last year and turning down a third. The Lions host the Rams on Sunday night.
Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken
Monken, 57, returned to the NFL this season after playing three years at Georgia. Baltimore's offense ranked fourth in points scored and ninth in EPA per play this year, and quarterback Lamar Jackson is the favorite to win the MVP award for a second time. The Chargers and Panthers have requested interviews with Monken, whose Ravens have a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
Possible new coaches (defense)
Ejiro Evero, Panthers defensive coordinator
Evero, 43, was Denver's defensive coordinator under Nathaniel Hackett in 2022 before taking over the Panthers' defense this season. The Broncos' defense under Evero was basically the team's only bright spot. The unit ranked seventh in EPA per game and 14th in scoring despite producing very little on offense.
This year's Panthers were no different – Carolina had one of the league's lowest-scoring offenses and the head coach was fired again during the season – although Evero's unit wasn't as well equipped to handle those circumstances. Still, the Panthers are considering Evero for the head coaching job and have blocked the Jaguars from interviewing him for the defensive coordinator job.
Mike MacDonald, Ravens defensive coordinator
In 2022, the Ravens had one of the best defenses in the league under Macdonald. This season they had the best defense, at least as measured by points per drive (they ranked third in EPA). Seattle experienced this firsthand in a 37-3 loss in Week 9. The 36-year-old Macdonald could be honored as the league's best assistant coach and has already been interviewed by the Commanders, Panthers and Titans.
Other options
- Los Angeles Rams DC Raheem Morris
- Washington Huskies HC Kalen DeBoer
- Detroit Lions DC Aaron Glenn
- Las Vegas Raiders DC Patrick Graham
- Cincinnati Bengals DC Lou Anarumo
(Photos of Jim Harbaugh, left, Dan Quinn and Dave Canales: Leslie Plaza Johnson, Andy Lewis, David Berding / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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