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It did not take long for Sanjay Lal to land on his feet.
The former Dallas Cowboys wide receivers coach has accepted a job with the Seattle Seahawks where he’s slated to serve under head coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer in a yet-to-be-announced role.
The Athletic was the first to report the hire.
#Seahawks are expected to add Sanjay Lal to the coaching staff, and he’ll assist offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer on that side of the ball in some capacity. Schotty and Sanjay worked together in Indy (WR coach, 2017). Sanjay was Dallas’ WR coach the last two years.
Lal has since confirmed the news to SI.com Cowboys insider Mike Fisher.
‘I’m very excited for the opportunity and to work with Pete (Carroll) and Schotty,” he told Fisher.
Lal had been instructing Dallas’ wideouts since 2018, after similar stints with the Oakland Raiders (2009-11), New York Jets (2012-14), Buffalo Bills (2015-16), and Indianapolis Colts (2017), where he worked alongside Schottenheimer.
He’s credited with developing star pass-catchers Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, both of whom eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards this past season. Gallup, in particular, took a monster step forward in his sophomore campaign, delivering 66 catches for 1,107 yards (16.8 yards per catch) and six touchdowns. Cooper, who arrived from Oakland in 2018, finished eighth in the NFL in 2019 with 1,189 yards and eight TDs on 79 grabs.
One of many Jason Garrett-era holdovers to get his walking papers, Lal was pink-slipped last month after the team brought aboard new HC Mike McCarthy, who hired ex-Browns WRs coach Adam Henry.
“I’ll always be appreciative of my time here working with Jerry, Jason, Stephen and Will McClay,” Lal told Fisher. “And I am especially proud and appreciative of working with these great young men who I had the opportunity to coach.”
In Seattle, Lal will step into a decent situation with D.K. Metcalf — fresh off an impressive rookie campaign in which he made 58 catches for 900 yards and seven TDs — as the bonafide No. 1 WR.
The Seahawks, who finished 11-5 in 2019, advancing to the NFC Divisional Round, are likely to add to their receiving corps this offseason, via free agency or the draft.
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Former Cowboys OC Scott Linehan Lands Major College Job
The longtime NFL assistant, who previously coordinated the Dallas Cowboys‘ offense (among others), has been hired as LSU’s new passing game coordinator, HC Ed Orgeron recently confirmed.
“We are excited about our staff and we are excited about Scott Linehan,” Orgeron said, via TigerDroppings.com. “We can’t wait to get to work. What a great hire for the LSU Tigers. He and Ensminger are going to fit along great together. He brought exactly what we wanted to our program.”
Sports Illustrated reported that Linehan signed a two-year deal with the university and will earn “about” $800,000 annually. He’ll work under OC Steve Ensminger and alongside incumbent wide receivers coach Mickey Joseph.
Linehan replaces Joe Brady, who literally changed stripes last month, defecting from the Tigers to the Carolina Panthers, where he received a promotion to coordinator from new HC Matt Rhule.
His biggest challenge — the entire staff’s biggest challenge, frankly — will be filling the void left by Heisman-capturing QB Joe Burrow, the projected No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft. Junior Myles Brennan is slated to succeed Burrow and the transition will make or break LSU’s title defense.
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