Mike Macdonald, Seahawks Build Strong Contingency Plans With Fortified Coaching Staff
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Northern Illinois Huskies head coach Thomas Hammock watches in the first quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images [/caption]
Paying the heavy toll that comes as a mandatory cost of winning in the NFL, the Seattle Seahawks expectedly have suffered significant coaching departures after defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, headlined by the immediate exit of offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to accept the head coaching job for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Losing Kubiak, who helped steer a top-three scoring offense quarterbacked by Sam Darnold in his lone season calling plays for the Seahawks, won’t be an easy task for the organization. In addition, former quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko followed him to Vegas, taking over as the Raiders new offensive coordinator, leaving two major vacancies for coach Mike Macdonald to fill in quick order. Such staff turnover plays a big role in the struggle to repeat in the league, as only two teams have won back-to-back Super Bowls since 2001.
Fortunately for Seattle, however, Macdonald has grown leaps and bounds when it comes to evaluating coaching talent and building/maintaining a staff since the franchise first hired him as a first-time head coach in 2024. Already having experience hiring two offensive coordinators, he had a clear objective in mind seeking Kubiak’s replacement, emphasizing the desire for continuity while still keeping all options on the table with both internal and external candidates in the mix.
More than two weeks after hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, Macdonald has done a fine job of restocking the cabinet with experienced, quality coaches, particularly on the offensive side of the football.
In the aftermath of losing Kubiak and Janocko to the Raiders, Macdonald stuck to his own words vowing for continuity scheme-wise, though he did so in an unexpected, outside of the box fashion. Even after interviewing four in-house candidates for the offensive coordinator vacancy, he pivoted by swiftly hiring former 49ers tight ends coach Brian Fleury last weekend hours after interviewing the rising coaching prospect, once again picking from the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree in San Francisco.
Though Fleury has never been a play caller at any level, he spent the past six seasons as one of Shanahan’s most trusted confidants evolving from a quality control coach to a run game coordinator, becoming indoctrinated in the system that has become a staple of the modern NFL. During that time, he coached alongside Kubiak in 2023 and built a relationship with Darnold, who served as a backup quarterback to Brock Purdy in San Francisco before revitalizing his career in Minnesota and Seattle.
Earning brownie points with an impressive resume, the 47-year-old Fleury also previously coached linebackers with the Browns along with a three-year foray into football research analysis with the Dolphins before going to San Francisco in 2019, offering a diverse background that has been preferred by Macdonald in the hiring process.
Staying proactive with the understanding Janocko likely would depart if he wasn’t offered Seattle’s offensive coordinator role, Macdonald leaned on his past connections from a lengthy stint in Baltimore, bringing respected assistant Daniel Stern on board. Wearing multiple hats in 10 seasons with the Ravens, long-time coach John Harbaugh relied on him to carry out many responsibilities, including working with Lamar Jackson as an assistant quarterback coach while also serving as a director of football strategy in the previous two seasons.
While it remains to be seen what role Stern will have on Macdonald’s retooled staff, his prior experience coaching quarterbacks would make him a prime candidate to replace Janocko, especially if incumbent assistant Tyson Prince isn’t deemed ready to step up into that position. He could also carry the title of pass game specialist, working in tandem with Fleury and pass game coordinator Jake Peetz.
Further stacking the deck on offense, Macdonald reached into the college ranks to reunite with another former colleague from Baltimore, persuading Thomas Hammock to leave his post as head coach at Northern Illinois and return to the league as Seattle’s new running backs coach to succeed Kennedy Polamalu. As confirmed to the Emerald City Spectrum by multiple team sources, Hammock interviewed for the offensive coordinator position and though he ultimately didn’t get offered the job, he turned down other opportunities in the league to team up with Macdonald once again.
Before spending seven seasons at the helm for his alma mater, Hammock earned a reputation as one of the best running back coaches in the league in five seasons with the Ravens. During that span, journeyman Justin Forsett eclipsed the 1,200-yard mark in 2014 and Baltimore also finished second in the NFL in rushing yards in 2018, anchored by a ground attack with three running backs finishing with over 330 rushing yards to pair with Jackson’s dual-threat capabilities.
Prior to his first NFL gig, Hammock coached three future NFL starters in Montee Ball, James White, and Melvin Gordon in three seasons at Wisconsin, including Ball’s remarkable 2012 season where he broke Barry Sanders’ record with 39 total touchdowns.
Fleury will have much to prove as a first-time coordinator with big shoes to fill as Kubiak’s successor, but Macdonald and the Seahawks aced the test in regard to not only adding quality assistants in Stern and Hammock, but also retaining several others from last year’s staff for support around him. Even with Kubiak bolting and taking Janocko and senior assistant Rick Dennison with him, offensive line coach John Benton, who coached with Fleury in San Francisco in 2019, Peetz, run game coordinator Justin Outten, and tight ends coach Mack Brown all are set to return in 2026, keeping most of the band together.
From that group, Hammock, Peetz, Outten, and Brown all have prior offensive coordinator experience at either the college or pro level, giving Seattle several exciting in-house options if Fleury flourishes and ends up following Kubiak as a one-and-done play caller to a head coaching gig.
Macdonald’s efforts to revamp and reload Seattle’s coaching staff weren’t limited to offense, either. While the Seahawks didn’t lose defensive coordinator Aden Durde, who had a pair of head coaching interviews in January, he made a power move by reeling in former Ravens defensive coordinator Zachary Orr as the team’s new inside linebackers coach.
After working his way up the coaching ladder rapidly in Baltimore in his post-playing career, Macdonald wanted to bring Orr with him to Seattle as his first defensive coordinator in 2024. But the Ravens wound up tabbing him as the successor for Macdonald’s former stead, thrusting him into a play calling role before his 31st birthday. The team finished ninth in scoring defense in 2024, only to slip to 18th last season, leading to him not being retained by new coach Jesse Minter.
Orr received interest from multiple teams, including Kubiak’s Raiders wanting to speak with him for their defensive coordinator vacancy, but like Hammock, he opted for familiarity with a lesser role to pair back up with Macdonald. Back in his element coaching linebackers, he offers another excellent in-house candidate to plug into a coordinator role with the Seahawks under the assumption Durde could be a top target for teams seeking a head coach next winter.
Putting a cherry on top of the coaching carousel sundae, Seattle welcomed back defensive pass game coordinator Karl Scott and safeties coach Jeff Howard after the two respected assistants interviewed for defensive coordinator positions with other teams, fortifying the staff with minimal defections on the defensive side of the ball.
As Philadelphia learned last season with the embattled Kevin Patullo lasting just one disappointing season replacing Kellen Moore before being fired last month, there’s no guarantee that a new coordinator will come close to replicating the success of his predecessor. Without the benefit of being able to look into a crystal ball, Macdonald’s decision to hire Fleury over internal candidates such as Janocko and the impact of any newcomers on the staff won’t be able to be truly judged until next fall when Seattle’s quest for a repeat begins in earnest.
All things considered, however, with only three notable coaches confirmed to be gone from last year’s squad at this time, Macdonald and the Seahawks have weathered the storm quite effectively compared to previous predecessors who won the Super Bowl. Bringing experienced coaches on board with most of the staff from last season returning, the franchise should be well-equipped for both the present and the future with contingency plans in place to help keep the window for contention wide open.
