SEAHAWKS CAN’T SPEAK WITH MIKE KAFKA ON FEB. 4 Though the New York Giants coach Mike Kafka was invited to an interview for the head coaching position last month, the Seattle Seahawks are searching for an offensive coordinator to join Mike Macdonald’s staff.

Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports that the Giants denied the Seahawks’ request to speak with Kafka.

This implies that while the search for Seattle’s next offensive leader continues, the organization will have to turn elsewhere for an offensive coordinator.

PANTHERS “CLOSING IN” ON CANALES JAN. 25 Pete Carroll’s replacement is not a former Seahawks assistant who is returning home. Rather, it looks like Dave Canales will take over as the Carolina Panthers’ new head coach.

The Panthers are allegedly “closing in” on Canales, per NFL Network. Canales served as the Buccaneers’ coordinator this season after a lengthy tenure as an offensive coordinator under Carroll in Seattle. After revitalizing Baker Mayfield’s career in Tampa, he is currently working on the Bryce Young project in Carolina.

Canales produced receivers like Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, and Golden Tate.

On Thursday, the Panthers were supposed to interview Mike Vrabel, the former coach of the Titans, but it appears they changed their minds and chose Canales instead.

ESPN claims that a “done deal” has been reached.

In less than a week, the Seattle Seahawks formally began their search for the eighth head coach in franchise history, after mutually deciding to promote iconic coach Pete Carroll to an advisory position following 14 seasons as head coach.

Who will become the front-runners to succeed Carroll? Return frequently as we add rumored interviews and updates to our head coach tracker:

Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn

Quinn had a top-seven scoring defense in each of his three seasons with the Cowboys, and he has strong links to the Seahawks having served as head coach under Carroll twice. However, Quinn’s unit finished the season badly in a 48-34 wild card loss to the Packers on Sunday. Before taking the head coaching position with the Falcons, where he guided them to a Super Bowl trip in his second season, he served as defensive coordinator for the team’s two consecutive Super Bowl appearances in 2013 and 2014. The team also finished #1 in scoring defense during that time.

Quinn was the early frontrunner when word leaked out that Carroll was fired as coach, which was not surprising given his tight relationship with general manager John Schneider, which dates back to 2010. Adding him would surely be a favorite choice among the players. However, there will be competition for his services, as reports also indicate that the Chargers, Commanders, Panthers, and Titans have asked to speak with him for an interview. He is expected to visit with the Seahawks on Thursday and the Panthers on Wednesday, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer.

Having spent five seasons as an assistant offensive line coach with the Saints, who ended with the third-fewest sacks in the NFL, Smith has a very different history than most of the sought-after candidates in this year’s coaching cycle. He had been the tight end coach for the Bears and Raiders on different tours before taking over as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator for the Chargers in 2021. Under his leadership, the team allowed the fewest sacks in the league that season.

Smith joined coach Mike McDaniel’s staff in Miami in 2022 and brought his skills with him. He was a key player in the Dolphins’ offensive comeback. Under his leadership, the squad advanced to first in rushing touchdowns and sixth in rushing yards in 2023 by utilizing his offensive line experience and run game. After McDaniel handled play calling the previous two years, teams will question his experience, but his track record of success creating strong offensive lines will appeal to teams like the Seahawks, who NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported had requested an interview.

Update: Ian Rapoport reports that Smith and the Seahawks had a remote coaching interview on Thursday.

Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero
Evero, one of the hottest young coaches available, had a mixed record in his one season at Carolina. On the one side, the Panthers allowed 24.5 points per game and ended 29th in scoring defense. However, that figure was heavily influenced by a dismal offensive, and the team finished fourth in total yards allowed, showing that they were much better than the score figures would have shown. He showed great promise in his first season as a play caller as the Broncos ranked seventh in yards allowed and 14th in scoring defense just two years ago while he was the defensive coordinator.

Evero, who previously worked with the Rams as their defensive pass game coordinator during their 2021 Super Bowl victory, has already begun his interview circuit, having met with the Panthers and Falcons over open positions. The Seahawks have an interview with the 43-year-old assistant arranged for this Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The team is considering him as a possible candidate to improve their underperforming defense in a return to the NFC West.

Teams may be hesitant to consider Morris as a candidate because he has only had one head coach or defensive coordinator squad that ended in the top 10 in scoring defense, the 2010 Buccaneers. With a 15th-ranked scoring defense, the Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl team placed in the middle of the pack. But he gets a lot of credit for what he did in Los Angeles this season, leading the team to a 19th-place finish in scoring defense despite the team losing many of its stars and replacing them with young, inexperienced players.

Morris, who was successful in Los Angeles under Sean McVay, was formerly the head coach of the Buccaneers. He believes he deserves another opportunity.

Copyright USA TODAY Sports/Mark J. Rebilas

Morris, who is 47 years old, won the title in Tampa Bay but hasn’t been a head coach in almost ten years. However, having worked for Quinn and Rams coach Sean McVay, he should have a better chance of getting another chance. Inquiring about the possibility of pilfering from a division opponent in an attempt to strengthen one of the NFL’s worst defenses, ESPN insider Adam Schefter revealed that the Seahawks had asked him to interview for their head coaching position. He is scheduled to meet with them this week via Zoom.

Update: Morris was interviewed remotely by Seattle on Friday, according to several sources.

Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka
Although Kafka was most recently on Brian Daboll’s staff as New York’s play caller for the previous two seasons, his prior position as Kansas City’s quarterback coach and passing game coordinator—where he oversaw Patrick Mahomes’ early-career development into an NFL superstar—has put his name on the radar as a potential head coach. Despite the fact that the Giants offensive ultimately failed in 2023 due to three different quarterbacks sharing the field, the team did go to the playoffs the previous season because to a stronger Daniel Jones and finished 16th in scoring offense, which now seems even better in light of the current situation.

At just 36 years old, Kafka has already been questioned by the Titans for the position of Mike Vrabel’s replacement, and according to Schefter, the Seahawks have also requested to speak with him. The team is probably attracted by his career coaching quarterbacks under one of the top coaches in the league, Reid, and may decide to pair him with Geno Smith or a new rookie signal caller.

Update: According to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, Kafka and the Seahawks were supposed to do a remote interview on Friday.

A product of New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s coaching tree, Graham advanced through the ranks by playing a variety of positions for the team, including defensive line coach and linebacker. He joined the Dolphins in 2019 as a member of Brian Flores’ staff, and despite the club being dead last in scoring defense, he had a challenging first season in his role as defensive coordinator. His second chance with the Giants, who were seventh in scoring defense in 2020 before regressing the following season, went marginally better. Following a poor defense in his first season as coordinator in 2022, the Raiders’ defense improved substantially in the following n

Graham has had erratic success in his brief stints as coordinator for three separate teams. He has, nevertheless, received praise for his leadership abilities and football expertise, which will be helpful to him as a new head coach. Pelissero reports that the Seahawks have asked him to interview as a possible replacement for Carroll, following his interview with the Chargers for their opening.

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson
One of the most talented young offensive brains in the game, Johnson has been instrumental in helping Detroit transform from a perennially bad team into a serious contender in the NFC. Jared Goff, who now leads the offense, has developed into a top-10 quarterback, and the Lions have established a formidable running attack to go along with it.

ine games, giving up less than 20 points in six of them after interim head coach Antonio Pierce took over.

squad moved up to second in total passing yardage and fifth in total rushing yardage in 2023 after finishing fifth overall in scoring offense.

Johnson may be the most sought-after coordinator available, as shown by his six interview requests in all and his scheduled interviews with the Panthers and Commanders on Friday. Johnson turned down head coaching possibilities around this time last year. Pelissero reports that the Seahawks are among the teams vying for his services and would like to chat with him regarding their opening. Smith or a rookie quarterback combined with him may be a home run given his success with Goff, but the team will face competition to acquire him.