Getty The Seahawks have been connected with former Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn.
The Seattle Seahawks are in talks with former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn to potentially become the team’s next offensive coordinator, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Lynn spent the last four seasons as the Chargers head coach before being fired this offseason. The former Chargers coach is said to be among the Seahawks’ top choices to run the team’s offense, but it is unclear if he wants to be a coordinator next season.
“Former Chargers coach Anthony Lynn has spoken with Pete Carroll about the Seahawks offensive coordinator job, sources tell me and @RapSheet,” Pelissero noted on Twitter. “Lynn hasn’t decided what he wants to do in 2021, but he’d be among Seattle’s top choices.”
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Lynn Is a Former NFL Running Back & Two-Time Super Bowl Champion
Lynn appears to be a good fit for the kind of offense Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll wants the team to have in 2021. He is a former NFL running back and his philosophy could coincide with Carroll’s desire to place an emphasis on the team’s rushing attack. Lynn played in the NFL for six seasons for the 49ers and Broncos and has two Super Bowl rings.
The Seahawks will have to examine why the Chargers rushing attack struggled in 2020. The Chargers ranked 30th in rushing yards per attempt, 27th in rushing touchdowns and 18th in rushing yards under Lynn last season. The argument for Lynn would be the injury to star running back Austin Ekeler along with the difference in being an offensive coordinator responsible for one unit versus a head coach who oversees an entire team.
During his final press conference of the season, Carroll emphasized the need to run the ball more effectively next season. ESPN.com’s Eric Williams believes Lynn is a perfect fit to coach the Seahawks offense under Carroll given his background.
“I think in terms of getting the running game back to what it was when the Seahawks were going to Super Bowls, that’s kind of (Lynn’s) specialty,” Williams told ESPN 710 Seattle. “He knows a lot of different ways in terms of diversity in the running game, he knows how to teach it, knows how to coach it, so I think that would be one of the reasons Pete would be interested.”
Carroll on Seahawks’ Offense: ‘We Have to Run It More’
A day before the Seahawks would part ways with Brian Schottenheimer, Carroll was clearly not happy with the offensive performance to close out the season. Carroll stressed the need to run the ball more frequently and be more effective in their attempts heading into 2021. These are words that indicate Lynn could be a strong candidate for the Seahawks if he opts to coach again in 2021.
“We have to run the ball better, not even better, we have to run it more. We have to dictate what’s going on with the people that we’re playing, and that’s one of the ways to do that,” Carroll said, via Seattle 950 KJR.
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Seahawks Linked to 2x Super Bowl Champion & Ex-Chargers Coach: Report