The Seattle Seahawks will begin their search for a new offensive coordinator immediately, after Mike Macdonald fired Ryan Grubb on Monday morning.
Macdonald cited a difference in vision for the direction of the offense when explaining his decision during a KIRO-AM radio interview. In that same interview, Macdonald was asked about the qualities he would value in a new offensive coordinator.
“We’re going to open it up,” he said. “We’re going to do our research and be thorough with it. We want to be efficient; we want to move quickly, but we want to be smart as well. Just looking for the right fit on the type of person that’s going to come in and lead our offense. Not that we weren’t aligned with Ryan, but definitely looking for alignment and a shared vision about how we want to operate.”
Macdonald’s last line was vague but arguably the most informative. The coach has previously stated a desire for a physical offense that owns the line of scrimmage. He has the same vision for the defense. There are different ways to achieve that goal on offense, though it’s incredibly difficult without a consistent rushing attack. Seattle finished the season ranked ninth in early down pass rate in neutral situations, according to RBSDM.com, which filters out blowouts and two-minute drills. The Seahawks ranked 22nd in EPA per rush and 21st in success rate on designed carries, according to TruMedia.
GO DEEPER
Seahawks fire OC Ryan Grubb after 1 season
Although Macdonald didn’t get into specifics, offensive imbalance likely contributed to his decision to fire Grubb and might inform his choice for a replacement. Here are some candidates to consider, sorted into three categories.
In-house options
Jake Peetz
Current position: Seahawks passing game coordinator
Peetz came to Seattle in February after two seasons with the Rams, where he was an offensive analyst and pass game specialist. Peetz has been coaching or scouting in the NFL or college since 2006. His experience is something Macdonald leaned on in his first year as a head coach, whether for logistics regarding joint practices or ideas about the offense. If Peetz is retained, Macdonald might consider promoting him, assuming their visions are aligned.
“He adds a lot of experience,” Macdonald said of Peetz on Jan. 1. “I’ve known Jake for a long time. He’s been around the block. He’s seen a lot of things. People that offer their opinions and that’s well thought out, detailed, and built around the principles we want to do, that’s a lot of the stuff Jake does, both as a program and with our offense. Definitely respect his opinion.”
Up-and-coming candidates
Tee Martin
Current position: Ravens quarterbacks coach
Martin has been the Ravens’ QB coach for the past two seasons. Before that, he spent two years as Baltimore’s wide receivers coach. He doesn’t have play-calling experience at the NFL level but is obviously familiar with Macdonald from their time together on the Ravens’ staff. Macdonald didn’t bring any Ravens assistants with him to Seattle last offseason, so he might value familiarity when considering someone like Martin, a former quarterback who has been coaching at either the college or pro level for nearly two decades.
Nick Caley
Current position: Rams tight ends coach and pass game coordinator
Most of Caley’s experience comes from his time with the Patriots, where he worked from 2015 to 2022 in various positions, including offensive assistant, fullbacks coach and tight ends coach. He joined the Rams as tight ends coach in 2023, then added passing game coordinator to his title this season. When Pete Carroll hired Shane Waldron away from the Rams in 2021, he did so with the hope of building a scheme that married the run and pass games the way Sean McVay has famously done in Los Angeles. Macdonald might consider someone like Caley with a similar thought in mind.
Jason Vrable
Current position: Packers pass game coordinator
Vrable held a few offensive assistant titles with the Bills (2013-16) and Jets (2017-18) before joining Matt LaFleur’s Green Bay staff in 2019. He spent a few years as the wide receivers coach and then added passing game coordinator to his title in 2022. The Packers are another team that marries its run concepts to its passing game, which has had to reinvent itself since trading Davante Adams to the Raiders ahead of the 2022 season. Since then, Vrable’s receiver room has been productive with a crop of young players and adequately complemented their run-heavy approach with Josh Jacobs this year.
Experienced coaches
Doug Pederson
Pederson was fired Monday after three seasons as the Jaguars’ head coach. From 2022 to 2024 the Jaguars ranked 19th in points per drive and 18th in EPA per play despite having a franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence. But Pederson was also the play caller as the head coach in Philadelphia (2016-20), where he led the Eagles to the Super Bowl in the 2017 season. Pederson also spent time as Andy Reid’s offensive coordinator in Kansas City.
It’s unclear whether Pederson could land another head-coaching gig in this cycle, but if not, he might be an attractive option to Seattle because of his resume and experience. Macdonald would have someone he could trust to essentially be the head coach of the offense while he oversees the defense, special teams and other aspects of his job as the guy running the whole show.
Mike McCarthy
McCarthy has been the Dallas Cowboys’ head coach for the past five seasons, though it’s not clear whether he’ll be retained for the 2025 season, as his contract expires Jan. 16. To interview him before then, the Seahawks would need the Cowboys’ permission. Before running the show in Dallas, he was Green Bay’s head coach for 13 years and won the Super Bowl in the 2010 season (McCarthy also has a relationship with Seahawks general manager John Schneider, a former Packers executive). McCarthy calls plays for the Cowboys, who have had effective offenses when quarterback Dak Prescott is healthy, this season notwithstanding. Like Pederson, one of the other benefits of hiring McCarthy would be that he would need less oversight than an unproven coordinator.
Mike Kafka
Kafka, another Reid disciple, has been the New York Giants’ offensive coordinator and for the last three seasons. He twice interviewed for the Seahawks’ head-coaching job last offseason. Seattle later wanted to interview Kafka for the offensive coordinator job, but the move was blocked by Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who took over play-calling duties in 2024.
The Giants ranked 29th in offensive EPA per play and 31st in points per drive this season. But they weren’t very good on offense in 2023, either, and Seattle still had interest in Kafka, so it would make sense for the Seahawks to have interest again and perhaps be able to separate him from all of the Giants’ other issues.
Alex Van Pelt
Van Pelt spent the 2024 season as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator; however, he is not expected to be retained (head coach Jerod Mayo was fired on Sunday). New England’s offense wasn’t very good — 30th in points per drive, 28th in EPA per play — but like with Kafka, interested teams might be able to separate Van Pelt from everything else that went wrong for the Patriots this season and focus on the work he did bringing along rookie quarterback Drake Maye.
Van Pelt has been coaching in the NFL since 2006, and before joining Mayo’s staff, he was the offensive coordinator in Cleveland under Kevin Stefanski from 2020 to 2023. While with the Browns, Van Pelt built offenses that ran the ball well and effectively used play-action concepts, two elements that were lacking in Seattle under Grubb. The Browns just fired the guy they replaced Van Pelt with, so returning to Cleveland might be an option. If not, Seattle might want to see if he can bring Macdonald’s vision to life in Seattle.
(Photos of Mike Carlson, Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
