Add yet another former NFL head coach to the list of names connected to the Seahawks’ vacant offensive coordinator position.
Adam Gase, fired earlier this month by the Jets, has “spoken” to the Seahawks about the job, according to a report Monday from Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
Seattle also has reportedly talked to Anthony Lynn and Doug Pederson, each fired this year as head coaches of the Chargers and Eagles, respectively.
Those three are the only ones reported as specifically talking to Seattle about the position. Fowler said the Seahawks also intend to speak to Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka “at some point,” which if nothing else seems to indicate that the search is far from over.
In fact, Fowler wrote Seattle is “casting (a) wide net to get some new ideas for Russell Wilson and co.”, possibly indicating that some of their talks with coaches might be more exploratory in nature, at least initially.
Gase obviously would come with a really interesting subplot — his relationship with Seahawks safety Jamal Adams.
Gase coached Adams during Adams’ final season with the Jets in 2019. Last summer, shortly before his trade, and something that undoubtedly helped lead to it, Adams was quoted as saying Gase wasn’t “the right leader” and “doesn’t have a relationship with everybody in the building.”
Adams was a little more conciliatory in December when the topic arose again before the Jets played the Seahawks in Seattle.
“We had a solid relationship,” Adams said then. “I don’t hate Adam Gase. You know, I don’t hate Adam Gase. I have no problem with Adam Gase. I just didn’t feel he handled certain situations well as a head coach, and that’s just my opinion. Everybody is entitled to their opinion.”
How much Adams’ thoughts would play into any decision is hard to know, but with the Seahawks hoping to sign Adams to an extension possibly this offseason that will assure he stays in Seattle for the long-term, it would make sense the Seahawks would run it by him.
Gase also was head coach of the Dolphins from 2016 to 2018 after first gaining notice as the offensive coordinator for the Denver team in 2013 that faced the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, when Peyton Manning threw for an NFL record 55 touchdown passes during the regular season.
Gase wasn’t able to translate that success to his head-coaching jobs, going 32-48, and nothing in his background really jibes with coach Pete Carroll’s stated goal of getting back to running more — only two of the eight seasons in which Gase has been an OC or a head coach have his teams ranked better than 19th in the league in rushing yards per attempt.
And of the eight seasons he has been an OC or head coach, only two have ranked better than 17th in points scored — the 2013-14 seasons in Denver when Manning was the quarterback (Gase left to become OC with the Bears in 2015 before becoming head coach with Miami in 2016).
But his work with the Broncos in 2013-14 might be intriguing Seattle some.
Kafka, a former quarterback at Northwestern and briefly in the NFL, has been with the Chiefs since 2017 in several different roles, and this year is the team’s quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator. Kansas City has built one of the most dynamic offenses in NFL history the past few years behind quarterback Patrick Mahomes, helping make the 33-year-old Kafka regarded as one of the hot names in coaching.
The Seahawks fired Brian Schottenheimer last Tuesday due to “philosophical differences” and quarterback Russell Wilson then said on Thursday he would be involved in the search for a new offensive coordinator.
Seattle also could be looking for a replacement for Brennan Carroll, Pete Carroll’s son who was the team’s run game coordinator in 2020 but has left for a job as the offensive coordinator at the University of Arizona.
Unclear is whether Seattle might also have to replace current passing game coordinator Dave Canales, who had interviewed for a position as the offensive coordinator at Vanderbilt.
Ian Rapoport of The NFL Network reported Monday that Canales turned down the Vanderbilt job to stay in the NFL but is expected to get some looks for OC jobs.
Could one of those be with the Seahawks?
Canales wouldn’t necessarily bring a new approach as he has been with Seattle for all of Carroll’s tenure dating to 2010, having also served as wide receivers coach from 2015-17 and QB coach in 2018-19 before becoming passing game coordinator this year.
And one name that some had linked to Seattle — 49ers assistant Mike McDaniel — can now be ruled out. McDaniel had been San Francisco’s run game coordinator but on Monday was promoted to offensive coordinator after passing game coordinator Mike LaFleur left to become the passing game coordinator of the Jets.
Another name linked to the Seattle job might also be staying put — Chargers’ offensive coordinator Shane Steichen. Steichen remained under contract with the team after the firing of Lynn as head coach and reports Monday indicated he might stay as OC under new Chargers head coach Brandon Staley. Steichen was reported as a potential target of Seattle’s by The NFL Network almost immediately after the firing of Schottenheimer.
Seattle was reported to have talked to both Lynn and Pederson late last week. One report stated it was unclear if Lynn wanted to be a coordinator in 2021 as he will remain under salary with the Chargers in 2021, with any salary from a new team being subtracted from that contract. But a report Friday night stated Lynn will consider OC jobs.
The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.