Klint Kubiak is a man in demand.
Any team with a Head Coaching vacancy appears to want to talk to him. There’s an increasing chance he will get an opportunity to take the next step in his career.
I know there’s been a fairly regular conversation, including on the latest Seahawks Collective, about whether he’d want to move again.
I think there’s no question he will be.
The difference in salary between an offensive coordinator and a Head Coach is significant. Kubiak is not close to earning the bizarre $6m Chip Kelly received from the Raiders last year.
It’s believed Kellen Moore, when he was the Eagles OC in 2024, was given $2.5m a year — and that was at the top end of the salary scale.
Kubiak didn’t appear to have a ton of options after leaving New Orleans a year ago and there didn’t appear to be a bidding war for his services. It’s realistic to think that $2.5m is the maximum he’s on — with the likelihood he’ll be on less. The average salary for an offensive coordinator in 2022 was reported to be $1m.
Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson — the two in-demand coaching candidates a year ago — ended up getting deals worth $14m and $13m a year respectively. Aaron Glenn got $12m from the Jets, with Liam Coen getting $10m from the Jaguars.
The chances are Kubiak could match Coen’s salary at the very least. That would constitute a massive pay increase. Not to mention, if interest is high in his services, a bidding war could emerge. Glenn got $12m from the Jets in part because the Saints wanted him too.
I think for Kubiak the grind of churning through different jobs in different cities has all been a means to an end — chasing the dream to be a Head Coach. His family history and trajectory would point to that. He may never be more in-demand than he is now given Seattle’s 14-win season. Taking a top job would enable him to potentially put down some long-term roots, not have to move for the next few years and earn a fortune for the privilege.
The interest in him also speaks to the NFL’s continued preference to target offensive-minded coaches. There’s a lot more buzz, it seems, around Kubiak than there is around Robert Saleh, Chris Shula or Jesse Minter.
With eight vacancies now open, and the potential for more after the Wild Card weekend, the chances of Seattle needing to replace Kubiak are growing.
So who could be an option to replace him?
The first thing to note is there are a couple of things working in Seattle’s favour. Any offensive coach is going to get to control that side of the ball. They’d be coming to a winning team who just managed to position the previous OC to get a Head Coaching job.
They might go for continuity and appoint from within. That could be more likely if they get to the Super Bowl because some attractive external candidates will be appointed by February.
Quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko was given the chance to call plays during the Green Bay pre-season game. It didn’t go particularly well — but it’d be harsh to base a full assessment of his credentials on that experience. I don’t think hiring someone without previous play-calling experience would be a savvy move — but they might have no choice.
Jake Peetz has been on the team for three seasons now as passing game coordinator. It’s interesting that he was never considered for the OC role a year ago, so either he or the team (or both) might not see that as an option. He spent one year as an OC in college at LSU and it might not have suited him.
Justin Outten had one year as Denver’s offensive coordinator under Nathaniel Hackett and did get some play-calling opportunities with the Broncos. Is that enough experience to justify getting the Seahawks gig? Possibly. Out of these three internal names he might be the best option.
One thing the next OC might need is contacts. Janocko is basically Kubiak’s guy, while John Benton the O-line coach and Rick Dennison the run-game co-ordinator have also followed him around. The chances are all would support his move to take on a top job. It’s also possible Kubiak would appoint Outten as OC, if he wanted someone familiar who wouldn’t need to call plays. Basically, Seattle’s next OC might need to replace multiple members of staff.
Externally there would be a few options — but it would depend on who’s available at the time the Seahawks were making an appointment.
Mike McDaniel would be a great option given his history in the Shanahan system. It would be a seamless transition you’d think — and his play-calling and Head Coaching experience would make him a perfect fit to lead Seattle’s offense.
However, following his firing by the Dolphins, he will be seen as a premier OC candidate for defensive-minded Head Coaches. He’s extremely close to Dan Quinn and is already being connected to the Commanders opening. He could even get an immediate second shot as a Head Coach himself, given the sparse offensive options on the market.
Mike Kafka was admired enough by the Seahawks to be interviewed to replace Pete Carroll. There was also seemingly interest in hiring him to be the OC a year ago. I’m not sure a difficult stint as Giants Head Coach, in an impossible situation, will change that appreciation for his ability. He could be a leading candidate and he now has some play-calling and leadership experience.
Kafka could, though, be an option for the Chiefs — who appear set to move on from Matt Nagy whether he gets a new job or not. Kafka was well liked in Kansas City before moving to New York.
There’s always a chance of snatching a highly rated OC who isn’t calling plays. I’m not sure on the exact rules — but if a coordinator is a non-play-calling coach, I believe you can target them to be the main man. That could bring Grant Udinski into play, who was interviewed by the Seahawks a year ago. He’s had a very successful year in Jacksonville but doesn’t call the plays.
Klay Kubiak could be another option to replace his brother. He doesn’t call the plays in San Francisco, obviously. Although staying attached to Kyle Shanahan will present him with Head Coaching opportunities probably from next year, so he likely won’t feel obliged to move to a NFC West rival.
Davis Webb has been touted as a Head Coach in waiting and is getting interviews in this cycle. He is Denver’s passing-game co-ordinator. In order to boost his chances of a Head Coaching gig in the future, would he take on an OC job in 2026?
Todd Monken and Mike Macdonald will know each other from their time in Baltimore. It’s possible Monken will go wherever John Harbaugh goes next but should that not be the case, he has experience leading an offense. The Ravens had the #11 ranked offense this year per DVOA, one place behind Kubiak’s Seahawks, despite having a bunch of injury issues at quarterback.
If you want to stick to the Shanahan/McVay DNA and take a chance on an up-and-comer — Nathan Scheelhaase is said to be highly rated in LA. He is the Rams’ passing-game co-ordinator.
I’m not sure Brian Daboll is necessarily a personality fit for this franchise — but he did do an excellent job as Buffalo’s OC working with Josh Allen. He also helped Jaxson Dart transition to the NFL and he has extensive play-calling experience. There’s talk of him potentially pairing with Brian Flores in Las Vegas.
Then there’s Kevin Stefanski, who appears set to get an immediate second chance as a Head Coach. However, there’s something to consider here. Stefanski has worked for one basket-case franchise in the Cleveland Browns. His next chance at a Head Coach will be his last. He, more than anyone, needs to choose carefully.
He appears to want the Giants job — but they seem particularly enamoured with John Harbaugh. If he misses out and the Ravens and Falcons go in a different direction, is he going to want to rush to Arizona, Vegas, Tennessee or Miami?
It might be in his interests to take a coordinator job and bide his time — especially if the pay-off from the Browns keeps him compensated at a high level. He only signed a new contract in Cleveland in 2024 so he will likely be receiving money for the next year or two. That would mean he won’t miss out on earning a Head Coach’s salary while he waits to see what the options are in 2027.
That might be a best case scenario for the Seahawks. After all, Gary Kubiak was Stefanski’s coaching mentor. Yet at the moment the odds are stacked against him being available. If Stephen Ross can finally deliver a Harbaugh brother to coach the Dolphins, Stefanski will probably get the Giants job within minutes.
Kliff Kingsbury doesn’t feel like a fit given his desire to live in the shot-gun.
Let’s also remember that the Seahawks are willing to think outside of the box — as they did with Ryan Grubb and by interviewing Hank Fraley a year ago.
It’s a nice problem to have, your coaches being in demand. Hopefully they are formulating a plan though in case they do lose Kubiak after, hopefully, an extended playoff run. They don’t want to be left in a situation again like 2024 — where the appointment of Macdonald was so late in the process they had to settle for Grubb with so few options available. That turned out to be a disaster.
