SEAHAWKS UNABLE TO INTERVIEW MIKE KAFKA ON FEB. 4

SEAHAWKS CAN’T SPEAK WITH MIKE KAFKA ON FEB. 4 Though the New York Giants coach Mike Kafka was invited to an interview for the head coaching position last month, the Seattle Seahawks are searching for an offensive coordinator to join Mike Macdonald’s staff. Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports that the Giants denied the Seahawks’ request to speak with Kafka. This implies that while the search for Seattle’s next offensive leader continues, the organization will have to turn elsewhere for an offensive coordinator.

PANTHERS “CLOSING IN” ON CANALES JAN. 25 Pete Carroll’s replacement is not a former Seahawks assistant who is returning home. Rather, it looks like Dave Canales will take over as the Carolina Panthers’ new head coach. The Panthers are allegedly “closing in” on Canales, per NFL Network. Canales served as the Buccaneers’ coordinator this season after a lengthy tenure as an offensive coordinator under Carroll in Seattle. After revitalizing Baker Mayfield’s career in Tampa, he is currently working on the Bryce Young project in Carolina. In Seattle, Canales produced receivers like Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, and Golden Tate. On Thursday, the Panthers were supposed to interview Mike Vrabel, the former coach of the Titans, but it appears they changed their minds and chose Canales instead. ESPN is

In less than a week, the Seattle Seahawks formally began their search for the eighth head coach in franchise history, after mutually deciding to promote iconic coach Pete Carroll to an advisory position following 14 seasons as head coach. Who will become the front-runners to succeed Carroll? Return frequently as we add rumored interviews and updates to our head coach tracker: Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn Quinn had a top-seven scoring defense in each of his three seasons with the Cowboys, and he has strong links to the Seahawks having served as head coach under Carroll twice. However, Quinn’s unit finished the season badly in a 48-34 wild card loss to the Packers on Sunday. This comprised

taking on the role of defensive coordinator during the team’s two consecutive Super Bowl trips and first-place finish in scoring defense in 2013 and 2014 before taking a head coaching position with the Falcons, where he guided them to a Super Bowl appearance in his second season.

Quinn was the early frontrunner when word leaked out that Carroll was fired as coach, which was not surprising given his tight relationship with general manager John Schneider, which dates back to 2010. Adding him would surely be a favorite choice among the players. However, there will be competition for his services, as reports also indicate that the Chargers, Commanders, Panthers, and Titans have asked to speak with him for an interview. He is expected to visit with the Seahawks on Thursday and the Panthers on Wednesday, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer. DOLPHINS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR FRANK SMITH Smith, who has a very different experience from the majority of the most sought-after candidates in this year’s coaching cycle, began his career with the Saints as an assistant offensive line coach.

who spent five seasons with the team and ended with the third-fewest sacks in the NFL. He had been the tight end coach for the Bears and Raiders on different tours before taking over as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator for the Chargers in 2021. Under his leadership, the team allowed the fewest sacks in the league that season.

Smith joined coach Mike McDaniel’s staff in Miami in 2022 and brought his skills with him. He was a key player in the Dolphins’ offensive comeback. Under his leadership, the squad advanced to first in rushing touchdowns and sixth in rushing yards in 2023 by utilizing his offensive line experience and run game. After McDaniel handled play calling the previous two years, teams will question his experience, but his track record of success creating strong offensive lines will appeal to teams like the Seahawks, who NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported had requested an interview. Update: Ian Rapoport reports that Smith and the Seahawks had a remote coaching interview on Thursday. EJIRO EVERO, DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR ONE FOR PANTHERS

one of the most sought-after young coaches available, but his one and only season in Carolina ended up being uneventful. On the one side, the Panthers allowed 24.5 points per game and ended 29th in scoring defense. However, that figure was heavily influenced by a dismal offensive, and the team finished fourth in total yards allowed, showing that they were much better than the score figures would have shown. He showed great promise in his first season as a play caller as the Broncos ranked seventh in yards allowed and 14th in scoring defense just two years ago while he was the defensive coordinator.

Evero, who previously worked with the Rams as their defensive pass game coordinator during their 2021 Super Bowl victory, has already begun his interview circuit, having met with the Panthers and Falcons over open positions. The Seahawks have an interview with the 43-year-old assistant arranged for this Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The team is considering him as a possible candidate to improve their underperforming defense in a return to the NFC West. RAMS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR RAHEEM MORRIS Teams may be hesitant to consider Morris as a candidate because he has only had one head coach or defensive coordinator squad that ended in the top 10 in scoring defense, the 2010 Buccaneers. Even in the Rams’

With a 15th-ranked scoring defense, the team placed in the middle of the pack in 2021—Super Bowl year. But he gets a lot of credit for what he did in Los Angeles this season, leading the team to a 19th-place finish in scoring defense despite the team losing many of its stars and replacing them with young, inexperienced players.

Morris, who is 47 years old, won the title in Tampa Bay but hasn’t been a head coach in almost ten years. However, having worked for Quinn and Rams coach Sean McVay, he should have a better chance of getting another chance. In an attempt to strengthen one of the NFL’s worst defenses, ESPN insider Adam Schefter revealed that the Seahawks have asked him to interview for their head coaching position. He is scheduled to meet with them this week via Zoom, along with the Panthers and Commanders. Update: Morris was interviewed remotely by Seattle on Friday, according to several sources. The Giants’ offensive coordinator is Mike Kafka. Despite the fact that Kafka most recently called plays for New

After spending the previous two seasons as quarterback coach and passing game coordinator in Kansas City, where he oversaw Patrick Mahomes’ early-career development into an NFL superstar, York has been on Brian Daboll’s radar as a potential head coach. Despite the fact that the Giants offensive ultimately failed in 2023 due to three different quarterbacks sharing the field, the team did go to the playoffs the previous season because to a stronger Daniel Jones and finished 16th in scoring offense, which now seems even better in light of the current situation.

At just 36 years old, Kafka has already been questioned by the Titans for the position of Mike Vrabel’s replacement, and according to Schefter, the Seahawks have also requested to speak with him. The team is probably attracted by his career coaching quarterbacks under one of the top coaches in the league, Reid, and may decide to pair him with Geno Smith or a new rookie signal caller.

RAIDERS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR PATRICK GRAHAM A product of New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s coaching tree, Graham advanced through the ranks by playing a variety of positions for the team, including defensive line coach and linebacker. He joined the Dolphins in 2019 as a member of Brian Flores’ staff, and despite the club being dead last in scoring defense, he had a challenging first season in his role as defensive coordinator. His second chance with the Giants, who were seventh in scoring defense in 2020 before regressing the following season, went marginally better. Following a poor defensive performance in his first season as coordinator in 2022, the Raiders’ defense significantly improved this season, giving up less than 20 points in six of their final nine games following Antonio Pierce’s interim takeover.

Graham has had erratic success in his brief stints as coordinator for three separate teams. He has, nevertheless, received praise for his leadership abilities and football expertise, which will be helpful to him as a new head coach. Pelissero reports that the Seahawks have asked him to interview as a possible replacement for Carroll, following his interview with the Chargers for their opening. LIONS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR BEN JOHNSON One of the most talented young offensive brains in the game, Johnson has been instrumental in helping Detroit transform from a perennially bad team into a serious contender in the NFC. Jared Goff, who now leads the offense, has developed into a top-10 quarterback, and the Lions have established a formidable running attack to go along with it.

Graham has had erratic success in his brief stints as coordinator for three separate teams. He has, nevertheless, received praise for his leadership abilities and football expertise, which will be helpful to him as a new head coach. Pelissero reports that the Seahawks have asked him to interview as a possible replacement for Carroll, following his interview with the Chargers for their opening. LIONS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR BEN JOHNSON One of the most talented young offensive brains in the game, Johnson has been instrumental in helping Detroit transform from a perennially bad team into a serious contender in the NFC. Jared Goff, who now leads the offense, has developed into a top-10 quarterback, and theTexas’s offensive coordinator, Bobby Slowik Slowik, an NFL offensive and defensive coordinator, was formerly an apprentice of 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. He brought his skills to Houston to work as a first-year offensive coordinator for Demeco Ryan. Showcasing his coaching prowess, he has flourished in his first play calling assignment in Houston, leading the team to an AFC South championship and a trip to the Divisional Round the following weekend as rookie C.J. Stroud throws 23 touchdowns and only five interceptions. Even after star rookie wide receiver Tank Dell suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the second half, the offense hasn’t missed a beat. Similar to Johnson, Slowik has proven to be a highly sought-after asset for teams seeking a fresh

head coach, who reportedly received requests for interviews from up to five other teams. The Seahawks put their hats in the ring on Tuesday by asking for their own interview, according to several reports. The team can set up a video interview with him this week, per NFL regulations, but in-person visits will have to wait until after Houston’s season concludes.

Former head coach of the Tennessee Titans, Mike VRABEL After excelling as a defender for several Patriots championship teams in the past, Vrabel had great success as the Titans’ head coach in his first four seasons, steering the team to three postseason appearances and an unexpected trip to the AFC Championship Game in 2019. Tennessee won the AFC South in 2020 and 2021 after winning nine games or more in each of those four seasons. Unfortunately, the team’s rapid collapse from contention over the previous two years due to a talent exodus and injuries forced ownership to part ways with him following a 6-11 season.

Though there have been rumors that Vrabel would decide to take a year off, teams searching for a new head coach have already expressed a great deal of interest in the 48-year-old. According to Schefter, he was invited to meet with the Chargers on Friday. Additionally, he was interested in interviewing with the Seahawks and Falcons for their respective openings. The Seattle interview has not yet been announced, but considering his long-standing relationship with Schneider and his track record of developing competitive, physical teams in Tennessee, he ought to be considered a strong candidate to take over a much better team than the one he coached the previous two years.