The Seattle Seahawks will have a new head coach for the first time since 2009. Pete Carroll will not return as Seattle’s HC in 2024, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Seahawks chairperson Jody Allen announced in a statement that Carroll will remain with the organization in an advisory role.
Carroll, 72, indicated as recently as Monday that he was “not worn out” nor “tired” and seemed to suggest he’d remain Seattle’s coach entering next season. Instead, the Seahawks will become the seventh NFL team with a head coaching vacancy. Who should be Seattle’s top candidates to replace Carroll?
Who Will Replace Pete Carroll as Seahawks HC?
Dan Quinn, DC, Dallas Cowboys
Nearly every national NFL reporter has already linked Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to the Seahawks’ head coaching job, and the fit clearly makes sense. Quinn spent four total seasons (two as DC) in Seattle, where he won a Super Bowl while helping to construct the Legion of Boom.
Quinn, the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach from 2015-20, should already be intimately familiar with the Seahawks’ internal culture. But he might be able to modernize Seattle’s disappointing defense after showing a willingness to move away from the Seahawks’ Cover 3-focused mindset in Dallas.
Quinn has rebuffed head coaching interviews in consecutive offseasons, but he might have been waiting for a gig like Seattle’s to open.
Mike Vrabel, ex-HC, Tennessee Titans
Could the Seahawks go from one established head coach to another?
Mike Vrabel’s firing in Tennessee wasn’t quite as shocking as Carroll’s departure from Seattle, but seeing the Titans part ways with an HC who’d won the NFL’s Coach of the Year award as recently as 2021 was still surprising.
As a defensive-minded culture builder, Vrabel shares some personality traits with Carroll. If the Seahawks want to find a younger version of Carroll who could theoretically lead the team for the next decade, Vrabel — 24 years Carroll’s junior — could be their choice.
Ben Johnson, OC, Detroit Lions
Ben Johnson came into the 2024 offseason as the top head coaching candidate on the market, and he’s received just as many interview requests as you might’ve expected.
With clubs like the Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers, and Washington Commanders expressing interest in Johnson, will the Detroit Lions’ OC take a meeting with the Seahawks?
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Potentially. Seattle’s future cap space outlook isn’t ideal, and the club may not have a path to securing a young, franchise QB after passing on one with the fifth overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. Jody Allen also has a legal obligation to eventually sell the Seahawks, complicating the team’s ownership situation. Johnson might have better options.
Mike Macdonald, DC, Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald is Candidate 1A behind Johnson on the 2024 hiring circuit, and he’s also drawn plenty of interest in the early stages of the interview cycle.
And why wouldn’t he? Macdonald helped the Ravens rank first in points per drive (1.35) and second in yards per play (4.6) despite battling injuries to key contributors like CB Marlon Humphrey, S Marcus Williams, and EDGE Odafe Oweh.
Macdonald runs varied coverage schemes, deploys sim pressures, and uses every other trick in the book to give Baltimore an edge. He’d probably be able to get the most out of a Seattle defense that featured intriguing players like EDGE Boye Mafe, DT Dre’Mont Jones, and CBs Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen but ranked 28th in DVOA last season.
Raheem Morris, DC, Los Angeles Rams
The Seahawks — or at least, Carroll — were interested in stealing from the Los Angeles Rams’ success when they hired former L.A. quarterbacks coach Shane Waldron as their OC in 2022. Could Seattle return to the Rams’ well in its 2024 head coaching search?
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L.A. defensive coordinator Raheem Morris is among the most qualified candidates available this offseason. He’s already been a head coach, worked on both sides of the ball, and spent time at the collegiate level. Morris deserves to be a head coach this cycle and could remain in the NFC West if he lands with the Seahawks.
Dave Canales, OC, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Like Quinn, Dave Canales has ties to the Seahawks, having worked his way up Seattle’s offensive org chart before taking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ play-calling job in 2023. After helping Geno Smith revitalize his career in 2022, Canales did the same thing for Baker Mayfield (18th in QBR) this past season.
Canales’ relationship with Carroll dates back nearly two decades, as the duo worked together at USC. That connection could theoretically help Canales land Seattle’s HC job — unless the Seahawks intend to go in a non-Carroll-centric direction.
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