My initial reaction to this news is it’s a positive for the Seahawks. Hank Fraley is likely to be a man in demand. It would make logical sense for him to pair with Ben Johnson in Chicago, without any play-calling pressure. Yet if that was such an obvious sure-thing, then he probably wouldn’t be travelling to the Pacific North West for an in-person interview.

There’s not actually anything suggesting Johnson has earmarked Fraley for the Bears. There are reports suggesting Dennis Allen and Darren Rizzi will be appointed as defensive and special teams coordinator respectively. Some people have suggested Fraley as a possibility — but nothing more.

Again though, it’d make a ton of sense for Johnson to pursue this. He’d get an ideal person to lead a much needed O-line revamp in Chicago. Therefore, the Seahawks have at least made a strong enough pitch to warrant a meeting in Seattle.

I’m quite open-minded about any of the three candidates who’ve reportedly had in-person meetings. Klint Kubiak has been around a lot of good coaches and had a strong start in New Orleans before injuries derailed their season. If Grant Udinski can convince the Seahawks to appoint a 28-year-old as their offensive coordinator, he must be something special. Fraley has a strong offensive line background and comes across as a good communicator during interviews.

There are also some concerns with all three. Will Kubiak insist on running a zone blocking scheme that even Sean McVay has effectively abandoned? Is Udinski truly ready to be the Head Coach of an offense? Being a great and popular offensive line coach won’t necessarily make Fraley a brilliant coordinator.

Whoever gets the job — and a decision is probably coming in the next 24 hours — it’ll be an intriguing hire. Given the Ryan Grubb experience, it’s likely to be someone who meshes well philosophically, schematically and perhaps even personality-wise with Mike Macdonald. They’ve got to get this right.

Meanwhile, there’s increasing chatter about Pete Carroll potentially being Plan B in Las Vegas, after Johnson’s decision to go to Chicago. We’ve talked about this a lot over the last two weeks but this is a move that also carries a lot of intrigue for me.

Carroll is big on familiarity. We saw that in his coaching hires in Seattle. He was the major mover to bring back Bobby Wagner, while we regularly saw old returning favourites — Bruce Irvin, Luke Willson, Marshawn Lynch, Frank Clark and others.

The Raiders are an expansion franchise at this point, similar to where the Seahawks were in 2010. Coincidentally, they also own the #6 overall pick in the draft — just like Seattle 15 years ago. They need some foundational pieces to be more competitive, while building something to be more sustainable and long term.

Pete Carroll was Geno Smith’s biggest backer in Seattle. I think John Schneider brought Drew Lock in via the Russell Wilson trade with the intention of seeing him compete fully to start. Instead, Carroll clearly always leaned towards Smith. A year ago it felt like Schneider was perfectly open-minded about moving Smith if the right opportunity emerged. It didn’t. Maybe it will this year?

Would Carroll’s Raiders make an offer to the Seahawks to acquire Smith? Giving Carroll his own bridge quarterback and someone he trusts and knows?

If he takes the job in Las Vegas, I think there’s a distinct possibility that could happen. The Raiders are also better placed to reward him with a new contract. They have the second most cap space available this year ($86m) and a league-leading $158m next year.

The Seahawks would obviously need a player to pivot to. However, as we’ve mentioned, two of the coordinator candidates they’ve talked with in person have history with Sam Darnold. I also think we’re in a different NFL environment these days. World class talent at quarterback is worth paying a fortune for. Otherwise, I think we might see teams focus on value, development and opportunity.

For anyone saying ‘will Schneider trade Smith with no obvious better options out there’ — he did just that when he dealt Russell Wilson. Nobody looked at a Smith/Lock competition as a good situation in 2022. That’s what the Seahawks ended up with, though, and they made it work. Of all the GM’s in the league, I think Schneider is the most prepared to make a bold move. Especially if a decent trade offer came in from the Raiders — such as a day two pick in this draft.