Author: Rob Staton (Page 1 of 404)

Join us at 9:30am (PT) for some Seahawks and draft debate…

For the purpose of this piece, I’m going to assume Kansas City doesn’t allow Trey Smith to reach the open market. If they do, the Seahawks should find a way to pursue him aggressively. About 20 teams, if not more, will have a similar thought process though.

There are two other names that I think are realistic…

Drew Dalman (C, Atlanta)

The two coaches who’ve had second interviews to be the offensive coordinator both come from the Shanahan/McVay tree. Although Sean McVay has adjusted his blocking scheme and gone ‘big’ on the offensive line, he’s struggled to find a center who fits what they want to do.

If the Lions win on Saturday it’s very likely the Seahawks won’t wait on Hank Fraley and will pick from the available candidates in order to name a coordinator quickly. If it’s Klint Kubiak or Grant Udinski, they might lean more towards the O-line personnel used by San Francisco and Minnesota.

Dalman would be a good fit at center for both teams. He’s 6-3 and 305lbs. He ran a superb 4.51 short shuttle at his pro-day, while delivering impressive explosive testing numbers (33-inch vertical, 9-1 broad jump). He’s translated these traits into a strong NFL career. He received a 78.8 PFF grade for the 2024 season (#4 among centers) and his run blocking grade was a 79.8 (#5 among centers). The year prior, he had a 90.0 run-blocking grade (82.3 overall).

The Seahawks have been crying out for consistency at center. They change starters every year. Another band-aid or low-level competition for Olu Oluwatimi won’t cut the mustard. They need to get someone in the building who can start for a few years. They can’t keep chopping and changing up front.

The draft is thin at the position. Jake Majors is superb and could be the answer but he’ll go early. Jared Wilson is athletic and has promise. Seth McLaughlin would’ve been a brilliant pick but he picked up an achilles injury towards the end of the season. You can’t bank on a player being available who can start quickly.

Ryan Kelly could be a short-term fix but he’s nearing the end. Bradley Bozeman can do a job for a year or two but no more. I like Josh Myers in Green Bay and don’t think we’ve seen the best of him. However, Dalman would be a good scheme fit, he’s only 26-years-old, he’s a quality run-blocker and he’d be worth investing in.

Creed Humphrey re-set the center market with an $18m a year deal. The next highest paid player is Frank Ragnow on $13.5m. You might be able to get him in the Ragnow range. If he plays as well as he has in Atlanta, it’d be worth it. A first-year cap-hit of around $8-10m would be manageable.

Sam Darnold (QB, Minnesota)

The more I think about it, the more I think the Seahawks might make a move here. There’s been a shift among those ‘in the know’ which has put a question mark over Geno Smith’s future. If he really is looking for a commitment from the team — meaning a big salary and term — it might lead to a divorce.

It’ll come down to Smith’s willingness to compromise. How prepared, in his age 35 season, is he to go ‘year to year’? How prepared is he to give the Seahawks some relief in terms of cap space?

There’s also the possibility of his former Head Coach, Pete Carroll, getting the Raiders job. Adam Schefter poured cold water on the idea Ben Johnson was destined for Las Vegas yesterday. Could Carroll be a Plan B? If so, he’ll need a quarterback in Vegas. He was a big fan of Smith, so would he pursue him?

It very much felt like they dangled Smith as a trade-chip a year ago, with Schefter noting his contract ‘provided value to the Seahawks, or any other team that wanted to reach out to see if he was available via trade’. Perhaps he’ll have a market this time?

The Seahawks can afford to go to the combine and assess the lay of the land. That’ll be the point to get around the table with Smith’s representatives and see what’s going to happen. They’ll know, by that point, what Darnold’s market is. They’ll know if there’s a trade market for Smith.

A lot of fans won’t like it and will say Darnold is no better than Smith. I tend to agree. I think there’s a similar level of ability there. Here’s the thing though — Darnold’s seven years younger. For a team with no obvious pathway to find a future at the position in the draft, this would be a shot to try and find something a bit more long term. If John Schneider doesn’t see Smith as anything more than a one or two year solution, it’s not unrealistic he’ll pivot to someone younger.

We’ve noted in the past that Schneider attended Darnold’s pro-day in 2018, just as he attended Josh Allen’s. That hasn’t been mentioned much over the years, presumably because Darnold’s career until 2024 was considered a flop. Don’t be surprised if that nugget crops up between now and March.

The two current finalists we know about for the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator job have both worked with Darnold in the last two seasons. There’d be familiarity.

There’s also the cost factor to consider. If he’s available for a contract similar to Baker Mayfield’s, his cap-hit in 2025 would be around $7-9m (Mayfield’s is $6.9m this year). The Seahawks could move Smith to save $31.5m, use $7m of that saving to pay Darnold for next season, and have $24.5m to spend. They’d be swapping a $44.5m cap hit at quarterback for a $20.5m total cost ($13.5m in dead money for Smith plus Darnold’s cap-hit).

They can easily sustain higher cap-hits for Darnold in 2026 and 2027. They currently have a projected $147m and $248m to spend in each season respectively.

Under Schneider we’ve already seen the Seahawks move off Matt Hasselbeck, Matt Flynn and Russell Wilson. There’s no reason to think they wouldn’t move off Geno Smith.

Darnold might not be ‘the guy’ to get you to a Super Bowl. He has just helped his team to a 14-win season though. He’s just had a 35-touchdown campaign. Smith has not achieved this. So if you’re going to pay a mid-range bridge to buy yourself time while you try and find the next great QB in the draft — why wouldn’t it be someone younger with a connection to your prospective next OC, with a financial saving in 2025 thrown into the mix?

Other thoughts

As we get close to free agency we’ll do more work on what they may or may not do. There are some interesting potential reclamation projects. I always saw Alabama left tackle Jedrick Wills as a guard. Cleveland drafted him to play tackle and it hasn’t suited him. He could end up being Seattle’s answer to Mekhi Becton in Philadelphia (another free agent I’d also consider signing).

There are some interesting defenders set to reach free agency too. I’d be intrigued to see what Mike Macdonald could do with a Jevon Holland or Andre Cisco. Talanoa Hufanga has had injury problems but when healthy, he’s a quality player. He was a big blog favourite back in the day (second round grade).

The defensive line options carry some intrigue — Milton Williams, DJ Jones, BJ Hill and Dayo Odeyingbo for example. Tight end Tommy Tremble can also do a lot of what Seattle needs at the position.

This is the first entry in my 2025 draft interview series. Regulars will know I’ve spent a fair bit of time praising UNLV receiver Ricky White III this season, so it was a pleasure to have a conversation with him.

Please like the video and leave a comment if you can — the more traction these interviews get, the more scope there is to get players involved.

Klint Kubiak in the driving seat

The Seahawks appear close to naming the current Saints offensive coordinator to replace Ryan Grubb. He’s reportedly taking a second in-person interview tomorrow. I discussed in a piece earlier this week why it might be trending towards Kubiak becoming their main target.

There has since been talk of a possible in-person interview with Hank Fraley too. The problem is, if the Lions win this weekend — that won’t be possible for another week or even two weeks. How prepared are the Seahawks to wait if the Lions start winning in the playoffs? They’d run the danger of missing out on Kubiak and there’s always a chance Fraley could have a change of heart.

Nothing about the hiring process in the NFL is ideal. My guess is if Kubiak and Mike Macdonald really hit off on Friday, he’ll get the job. They’ll know after the meeting how much they want to wait a few days to see if the Lions lose to the Commanders.

I like the candidates the Seahawks identified for this role. There wasn’t a ‘home-run’ hire. They’ve had to look around. My only hope is that if Kubiak is appointed, he’ll be prepared to embrace some of the adjustments Sean McVay has made to his blocking scheme. He’s abandoned a lot of the zone/perimeter based system in favour of size and power. I want the Seahawks to be big, aggressive and play downhill in the running game. I want to go after big-bodied finishers, not look for smaller finesse blockers.

The good news is — who was New Orleans’ first round pick last year? Taliese Fuaga, a 6-6, 324lbs violent beast of an offensive lineman. He’s the opposite of finesse. That’s an encouraging sign.

Quinn Ewers turns pro

I’ve always hated people judging a player’s decision to turn pro or not. Now we have this horrible spectacle of $6-8m offers being made to keep quarterbacks in college and people slamming them for turning down the money. It’s ugly.

Ewers has been criticised for not transferring somewhere else and guaranteeing a big pay cheque. Good for him, I say. Apparently he wants to be remembered as a Texas Longhorn, not someone who finished somewhere else. He’s clearly motivated by something other than money, which is a good sign. I’m not sure going somewhere else to play would’ve tremendously boosted his stock anyway.

There’s a lot of online dislike for Ewers which I think goes a bit over the top. He does have natural talent. His whip-like release remains attractive. His deep throw against Alabama last season is one of the three best throws I’ve seen in college football, alongside passes completely by Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray.

His 2024 season started very well and he looked on top form. However, injuries derailed him. An oblique and then an ankle problem took away significant velocity in his arm and his mobility evaporated. He became indecisive and flustered in the pocket. He struggled, with only flashes of quality breaking out game-to-game. He failed to play consistently well for a full four quarters in pretty much any contest post-injury.

I don’t think he’s shown he belongs as a starter in the NFL. He lacks great size and doesn’t have a major physical trait to make up for it. However, the arm talent is clear. It’s not a cannon — but his ability to flick the wrist and the ball just fizzes out does warrant a comparison to Aaron Rodgers’ delivery. He doesn’t have Rodgers’ elusiveness though, or his ability to throw ‘wow’ passes downfield on the run.

Ewers was once a major recruiting talent, viewed as a generational High School prospect up there with the likes of Jadeveon Clowney. He received higher grades than Caleb Williams. He might’ve failed to live up to the hype in college but teams in the NFL have been tracking him for some time.

I think he can be effective in a Kyle Shanahan type scheme. One that requires the quarterback to be a facilitator rather than a one-man show. The Seahawks might be about to appoint a Shananan-tree coach in Klint Kubiak to run their offense.

I’m not making any bold prediction here. The Seahawks might’ve been put off Ewers with the way he played. John Schneider witnessed a tough outing against Georgia in person during the regular season.

However, there is growing pressure on Schneider to draft a quarterback. I don’t think it’s beyond the realms of possibility he looks at Ewers on day two of the draft and brings him in as a developmental project.

A final quick note — both Todd McShay and Rick Spielman said this week there’s growing buzz within the NFL for Jaxson Dart. That’s something to keep in mind as we prepare for the Senior Bowl, where Dart will participate.

Later on I’m going to be recording my first prospect interview in the 2025 version of my draft series. I’ll be speaking to UNLV receiver Ricky White III. Check it out on Friday. Earlier today I also appeared on a UK-based Seahawks podcast called the 12-Talk Podcast. We went over a number of topics. Check it out below:

Today I had a great conversation with Puck Sports discussing the future of the Seahawks offense. Please do check it out, like the video and check out the comments because they’re always great fun!

The Seahawks have requested an interview with Minnesota’s 28-year-old assistant quarterbacks coach. It’s an interesting name to watch as the search for Ryan Grubb’s replacement continues. Video thoughts below…

The offensive coordinator search might continue for a while yet but the thought occured to me — maybe the Seahawks have identified their key target?

Klint Kubiak was granted permission to interview with them today, as the Saints continue their search for a new Head Coach. He interviewed with the Browns yesterday.

There aren’t many obvious candidates out there in this hiring cycle. The ‘under pressure’ offensive-minded Head Coaches — Brian Daboll, Mike McDaniel — kept their jobs. Doug Pederson doesn’t feel like someone who wants to rush into a coordinator gig, especially after discussing the possibility of retirement recently.

Brian Schottenheimer isn’t returning after leaving the Cowboys. Brock Huard revealed on 710 Seattle Sports this morning that his family refused to move to Seattle during his time with the Seahawks and built a house in Tennessee as a base instead. It was suggested it was highly unlikely he would return to the PNW.

A lot of the touted names have no existing NFL play-calling experience. That’s a risky proposition, given the Seahawks are already 0/1 with offensive coordinators lacking such experience.

Kubiak has done it, with the Broncos and the Saints. It will not be a new experience for him to come in and call plays for the Seahawks.

His father Gary Kubiak was the Ravens offensive coordinator in 2014. That happened to be Mike Macdonald’s first year in the NFL, acting as a coaching intern in Baltimore. The season was a roaring success — the Ravens had their best offensive performance for 19 years with quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Justin Forsett achieving career single-season highs in yards and touchdowns.

Off the back of that season, Gary was appointed Head Coach of the Broncos and won a Super Bowl the following year.

I’ve no idea what exposure Macdonald had to Kubiak Sr in 2014 but he’ll be well aware of the success he had in Baltimore.

I found this interview with Kubiak Jr at draft time a year ago after joining the Saints. He took on the job running the offense for a defensive-minded Head Coach — an identical situation to Seattle’s.

A couple of quotes stood out. Firstly, a comment on how he’ll approach the job:

“We’re going to be really detailed in our process with the guys and be good teachers.”

I think this is very similar to the answer Mike Macdonald gave when he became the Seahawks Head Coach. Also, being detail-driven is so important as an offensive coordinator. Hearing Kubiak note that was interesting.

Next, here’s a quote on his philosophy:

“That’s going to be determined on our players. We have a base system we’ll put in, we have some strong feelings on how we want to run the ball and how we want to use play-action but at the end of the day it’s going to be getting a good feel for what our guys do well and then carrying that into the game-plan on Sunday.”

The glaring comment is how he immediately goes to the running game and play-action. However, did you also note how he mentioned their plan will be dictated by their players? That is exactly what Macdonald said about Seattle’s defense when he took over a year ago.

The point I’m getting at here is they sound like they’ll chime in a way Macdonald didn’t with Grubb.

Kubiak has worked within the Mike Shanahan-scheme and directly coached for the 49ers under Kyle before moving to New Orleans. Jason Puckett made a good point recently that Macdonald should probably hire from the scheme that he feels challenges him the most. That could easily be the Mike Shanahan system, developed and evolved by the likes of Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay.

It’s also worth mentioning Kubiak’s previous jobs. In New Orleans he worked with a veteran quarterback in Derek Carr. It might’ve been an injury-hit year for Carr but when he played he typically played well. He ranked 8th among quarterbacks per PFF grading, had a quarterback rating of 101 and threw 15 touchdowns compared to five interceptions.

When Carr was unavailable, Kubiak was able to help rookie Spencer Rattler have some degree of success given he was thrown into the fire playing for a team ravaged by injury.

He was also the passing game coordinator during a strong 2023 season for Brock Purdy and worked with pending free agent Sam Darnold that year too. So whether the Seahawks want him to work with the experienced Geno Smith, a rookie, or an alternative veteran like Darnold, he can lean on past experience.

Maybe he’s the one they’ve got their heart set on for the job? Mike Garafolo more or less wrote-off Thomas Brown as a candidate last week on Puck Sports. It’s always difficult to frame it this way but the Seahawks were obliged to interview a minority candidate to comply with the Rooney Rule. Hank Fraley is a great candidate to speak to and you might be wowed by him. Part of me wonders though if it was a fact-finding mission about Detroit’s approach to the offensive line, while also giving a good candidate a shot to impress. The problem is — if Detroit makes it to the Super Bowl (a fair bet) — are you willing to wait until after that game to appoint a new offensive coordinator? That’s weeks away.

We may learn about further candidates this week, especially with other teams exiting the playoffs. However, I think the Seahawks might prefer to sort something out quickly. It makes sense — to get their ducks in a row, plan ahead for the off-season, establish their schemes and not sit around waiting for ages. It’s only worth waiting if you’re waiting for a great candidate. Does anyone fit the bill who you currently can’t speak to? I’m not convinced.

Kubiak interviewed with Cleveland yesterday, having worked with Kevin Stefanski previously in Minnesota. Today, the Browns promoted Tommy Rees to offensive coordinator instead. It could be indicative of where this is heading. Kubiak could still choose to wait and see what happens with the Saints. If they appoint Aaron Glenn as Head Coach, they might try to keep Kubiak as offensive coordiantor (although Glenn might have his own man in mind).

It’s also possible he might prefer to stay in the South. His family is based in Houston given his dad’s considerable time with the Texans. He talked about the benefit of that recently — but it was almost in a reflective ‘that was a positive while it lasted’ tone.

For what it’s worth I think it would be a good hire. Having someone who has called plays before would be a positive. He seems like someone who will mesh with Macdonald. Kyle Shanahan really rates him and the Saints got off to a great start in 2024 before injuries derailed everything.

My only hope is they adjust their approach to the offensive line. I like what McVay has done with the Rams, pivoting to bigger people-movers up front. That’s the kind of line I want. Big, aggressive, physical blockers who get off the ball and finish. I don’t want finesse. If McVay can pivot, why can’t anyone running that type of offense?

EDIT — The Seahawks have now requested an interview with Grant Udinski from the Vikings. I was reading about him last night, after studying this list of top-40 NFL coaches under 40. I found this very interesting article about him which is worth checking out. It seems like he’s destined for big things.

A final point today. I mentioned above the possibility of the Seahawks signing Darnold. Many will shudder at the thought after the playoff game against the Rams. Here’s what I’d say about that. It was admittedly a horrific performance. However, it likely tanked his earning potential. Bizarrely, he might now be reasonably priced — especially for a quarterback who just led his team to a 14-win season, throwing 35 touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions.

If Geno Smith is minded to push for commitment from the Seahawks in the way of a big salary and term, Darnold — who for me is a similar standard of player — could provide a cheaper, younger alternative. It’s not ideal and he might not be the long-term answer. I’ll say it again though — younger and potentially cheaper.

It’s also worth remembering that two years ago, Geno Smith himself had a disappointing playoff defeat against the 49ers. The Seahawks lost 41-23. He threw an interception and finished 25/35 for 253 yards (two touchdowns). Darnold’s performance was worse against LA but he finished 25/40 for 245 yards, a touchdown and a pick. These are similar passing numbers. The big difference between the two was the sacks — Darnold took far too many avoidable ones including a fumble-scoop-and-score for a defensive touchdown.

No doubt if the Seahawks sign him, they’ll need to improve their offensive line. But they need to do that anyway.

Today two things are true — Darnold is far more likely to reach the market and he’ll be cheaper than many expected a few weeks ago. His last act for the Vikings was a bitterly disappointing performance but the fact is, he is an alternative to Smith for the Seahawks.

For all the discussion about D.K. Metcalf’s future in Seattle, I think it’s fairly obvious what’s going to happen. They’re going to extend his contract.

The only thing likely to prevent this happening is a difficult negotiation. I’m not sure that’ll be the case though. His last contract was agreed without any drama.

So why is it so obvious he’ll stay in Seattle?

It will cost the Seahawks $21m in dead money to trade him. That’s a huge amount of money. In order to justify such an expense, you’d have to be getting a lot back in a trade. Metcalf’s stock is possibly as low as it’s ever been. It’s highly unlikely an offer will be forthcoming that makes the team comfortable paying $21m to watch him play somewhere else. The cap saving for 2025 will only be $10.9m.

Talk of a $30m a year deal is a red-herring. Brandon Aiyuk’s contract in San Francisco is worth that amount on average and should act as a parameter for negotiations. On closer inspection though, Aiuyk’s $30m a year deal is nothing like it. It’s window dressing.

Here are Aiyuk’s cap-hits for the next three seasons:

2025 — $10.7m
2026 — $16.2m
2027 — $42m

By 2027 the 49ers have an easy out in the deal that will save them $19.4m. They’ll take on a $22m dead cap hit, as much as Metcalf’s dead cap-hit today.

If the Seahawks and Metcalf were to do a deal using the framework of Aiyuk’s contract, they could very reasonably just kick the can down the road on his deal for two more years.

They would give Metcalf a deal worth $120m with $45m guaranteed and $30m a year. It sounds enormous. In reality, you’d be paying him about $10-15m next season, $16-18m the following season and then you can get out of the contract. It’s nothing like a $30m a year commitment.

His current cap-hit, worth $31.9m, could realistically be cut by at least half. That would create around $16-20m in cap space immediately. That is far more appealing than saving $10.9m, while paying him $21m to play somewhere else, while also likely not getting great value in a trade, and having to replace Metcalf somehow in free agency or the draft.

The Seahawks have $146m in available cap space for 2026. They can easily take on a $16m cap-hit if his new contract matches Aiyuk’s. Then by 2027, when the cap-hit rises massively, you can make a decision. You can trade or cut him, costing the same dead-cap as you’d spend now, only with far more cap space to play with (making it easier to absorb). Or you can re-work his deal to lower the cap-hit. It would easily be manageable.

From a financial perspective, it makes perfect sense to go in this direction.

I think people are unaware or mistaken on what trading Metcalf means for 2025. You are not saving any real money or creating cap space. You are not clearing $30m immediately. The saving would come in future seasons, where the Seahawks already have a ton of cap-space.

Basically, unless someone makes a fantastic trade offer that you can’t turn down (they probably won’t) the best move is to extend him, lower his cap-hit, keep the player and reassess in a couple of years when he becomes expensive again. He only just turned 27, so you have time to consider things.

This is a far more straight forward situation than the one with Geno Smith. The quarterback market is different. Aiyuk’s deal can easily be used as a precedent for Metcalf, where things make sense for the player and team. With Smith, he’d presumably point to massive contracts for Kirk Cousins, Tua Tagovailoa, Jordan Love and Trevor Lawrence. The Seahawks will balk at those deals for a number of reasons — in particular the total lack of value plus Smith’s age.

Therefore, it’ll come down to Smith’s willingness to compromise. As we discussed on Saturday — given what the media is saying, I’m guessing his camp are not currently minded to compromise.

The Seahawks, in my opinion, will not retain Smith on his current $44.5m cap-hit. They will want to bring that number down and retain an annual-out. Yet according to Albert Breer’s report prior to the Bears game, Smith is seeking a commitment in terms of salary and contract-length:

"The exploding QB market does complicate his future."@AlbertBreer on how the Seahawks are approaching Geno Smith's future with the team.#TNFonPrime pic.twitter.com/YUY1OnNLXv

— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) December 27, 2024

“The exploding QB market does complicate his future”

Breer’s report spells it out. The Seahawks are clearly open-minded about keeping Smith. He seems to want a bigger commitment. Unless the two sides can come together over the next six weeks, a parting could become a reality.

It’s still early days though. It’s a time for brinkmanship. Deadlines spur actions. By the time we get closer to March, Smith’s representatives might be more inclined to work with the Seahawks. Unless, of course, they feel their client has a market elsewhere. That will almost certainly be the case if Pete Carroll takes the Las Vegas Raiders job. But it’s worth remembering how lukewarm his market was in 2023 and he’s now two years older.

So while I think it’s very clear Metcalf will be back with the Seahawks, I think it’s very much in the balance with Smith.

Albert Breer reported Hank Fraley is looking for assistance in case he gets an opportunity to be Seattle’s next offensive coordinator. In trying to think of people who would fit the bill, I found one name that will initially be a turn-off — but perhaps he shouldn’t be?

Before I name the individual, I’ll set the scene by mentioning his last coordinator job in the NFL where he called plays, back in 2022.

In the final six weeks of the season, his team earned a 4-2 record playing a tough brand of football. It’s no exaggeration to say they were among the most physical teams in the league by the end of the year.

They averaged 167 rushing yards a game during this spell. If you take out a 21-yard rushing effort in a 24-16 defeat to the Steelers where they had to play from behind throughout — they averaged 195 rushing yards per game in the other five contests. This included 223 yards in a win against Seattle.

For a team wanting more commitment to the run and more production — this is the kind of thing they could be very interested in.

So who am I talking about? It’s Ben McAdoo, who last called plays for the Panthers under Matt Rhule and then Steve Wilks.

I appreciate this isn’t a name to get the juices flowing. Fans mostly remember his second season as the Giants Head Coach and an ill-fitting suit he wore at his introductory press conference.

However, there are reasons to at least consider him:

— The success in Carolina, in particular the brand of offense

— He has an offensive line background

— He has a connection to Green Bay and John Schneider

— He has gained widespread praise from the players in his current role

— He has shown an ability to work with other coaches as part of a collective

— He appears eager to rebuild his career

The Baltimore Ravens haven’t exactly had a back-catalogue of ‘trendy’ offensive coordinators over the years. From 2008 to current day the list is — Cam Cameron (2008-12), Gary Kubiak (2014), Marc Trestman (2015-16), Marty Mornhinweg (2017-18), Greg Roman (2019-22) and Todd Monken (2023-present). It also shows John Harbaugh has not had consistency in the role — perhaps something we should accept and embrace might be the case under Mike Macdonald.

In 2024 McAdoo worked for the Patriots as a Senior Offensive Assistant. According to this article he’s done a bit of everything — worked closely with Drake Maye and Joe Milton, conducted the Thursday offensive meeting, worked with the offensive line and running backs — and it all seems to have gone well.

Drake Maye:

“Ben’s been a head coach, an offensive coordinator, he knows a lot about football and knows a lot about play calling. He’s been another voice in the quarterback room who knows his place. He doesn’t speak all the time. He gives little tidbits like, ‘Stand in here’ or ‘Hang in the pocket.’ Sometimes, ‘Drake, if you see this, check it down.’ little things like that. He gives little tidbits throughout practices, throughout the week that go a long way.”

Receiver KJ Osborn:

“He’s very smart. He’s super helpful. On these third down days, he goes over that presentation about their coverages, some of the things they like to do on third down, pressures. Go over those presentations and I think he does a really thorough job of giving us a look and an idea of what we’ll see.”

Jacoby Brissett:

“You can tell he puts a lot of work into it – the details of things he does. His wealth of knowledge from being from a lot of other places, from being a play caller and those roles, he’s able to see it at a faster rate. Especially when he comes into our (quarterback) room, not just the big room. He’s able to pull up clips like, ‘We ran this with Eli (Manning) this time.’ It helps a lot.”

Quarterback Joe Milton:

“He follows me pretty much everywhere I go out there on the field. He makes sure I’m having fun, always being myself. Makes sure that I’m the same Joe every day. That’s pretty much how I try to approach my days. Go out there and have fun. That’s all you can do. He gets my footwork right. He makes sure I’m mentally sharp. Just because I’m not out there taking the reps, so he makes sure I’m mentally good. It’s very helpful for me because I get to learn from a head coach who was also a quarterbacks coach in his time. It means a lot to me.”

The comments are perhaps not altogether surprising, given the players likely knew they were producing quotes for a positive review of their coach. However, the play of the young quarterbacks certainly wasn’t a problem for New England in 2024. Maye looked excellent, much improved from his time at North Carolina already. Even Milton shone in week 18 — looking way beyond the player who struggled to impress at Tennessee short of having a big arm.

He’s been a Head Coach with the Giants. They finished 11-5 in his first season in charge. The second season was a calamity — with injuries robbing McAdoo of key players and a bunch of off-the-field problems led to some players being suspended for team violations. After a 2-10 start he was fired.

One of the reasons for his firing was the unpopular decision to end Eli Manning’s run of consecutive starts (210 over 13 years) in favour of playing a certain Geno Smith instead. For what it’s worth, Smith said he loved playing for McAdoo. If the Seahawks retain Smith, it’s no bad thing they’ve worked together before. If they move on, he just helped coach two young quarterbacks in New England.

He has the Giants experience to lean on. He’s been a play-caller in the NFL. He has an offensive line background. He’s only 47-years-old, so he has time to rebound from the setbacks in his career.

He was in Green Bay with John Schneider when McAdoo was on Mike McCarthy’s staff as tight ends coach, winning the Super Bowl in 2010. Schneider and McCarthy are said to be very close.

If Fraley needed someone who appreciates line play but also has a wealth of experience as a play-caller, has experience as a coordinator and a Head Coach, and by the sound of things is very prepared to work as part of a team of coaches without putting anyone’s nose out of joint or having any ego about his role, then this could be a candidate to consider.

I doubt they’d outright interview McAdoo for the coordinator job. Pairing him with Fraley might work. He’d provide experience and play-calling prowess/advice. He’s capable of working to support a coordinator.

Maybe it could work?

I suspect the Seahawks are not going to hire an offensive coordinator who basically needs to create a ‘Bevell and Cable’ double-act. There’s such a dearth of obvious candidates though. It’s very hard to look across the NFL and say, ‘that’s the individual the Seahawks should go after’. There are so few coaches with a play-calling history, let alone a successful one.

Unless a surprise candidate emerges, it does feel a little bit like they’re going to take another leap into the unknown. There isn’t an obvious home-run hire.

Bringing in McAdoo to work alongside Fraley would at least, if nothing else, make a commitment to the offensive line while also bringing in someone who has called plays before and has shown, albeit in a short stint with Carolina, that he’s capable of building a highly successful running attack.