The Seattle Seahawks have begun the interview process for the team’s next head coach and so far the candidates have been the usual NFL suspects. Yet, when the Seahawks landed Pete Carroll it was from an ordinary hire.
Now, rumors are swirling that Seattle could go back to the USC well and target Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley. Seattle Sports’ Brock Huard (also a former Seahawks quarterback) labeled Riley as a sleeper candidate if general manager John Schneider wants to make an “unconventional” hire.
“Well, look at all the coaches who’ve been fired: Pete, defensive guy. Ron Rivera, defensive guy. They’re all defensive guys,” the analyst explained during a January 11, 2024 episode of “Brock and Salk.” “The most unconventional would be Lincoln Riley.”
“… If you were just to say, ‘Who’s the most brilliant offensive mind and schemer and game planner and playcaller going?’ Lincoln Riley’s on that list. He’s really, really good.”
USC Head Coach Lincoln Riley Signed an $110 Million Contract With the Trojans: Report
Seattle would likely need to break the bank for Riley to be willing to make the jump from college football to the NFL. Riley has a $110 million contract with the Trojans which includes unlimited jet access for his family.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer believes it is not that farfetched that Riley would have an interest in the Seahawks gig. So far the other candidates the Seahawks have requested interviews with (at least publicly) are all NFL coaches.
“I think Lincoln Riley is very open to going to the NFL,” Breer noted in a January 16 interview on “Brock and Salk.” “I think he’s very open to it. And he makes some sense, absolutely.”
“… “I don’t think it’s a bad idea at all, especially at a time when it seems like the pipeline of offensive coaches (at the NFL) is running a little bit dry just because there have been so many guys hired on that side of the ball the last few years.”
John Schneider on Seahawks’ Interest in College Coaches: ‘I’m Not Sure Yet’
By the time we got done talking to @AlbertBreer today, I was pretty much ready to sign up for Mike Vrabel as the next coach of the Seahawks. There’s also a good nugget here on Lincoln Riley who remains intriguing as well.
Schneider was non-committal when asked if the Seahawks coaching search would include individuals from the college ranks. The Seattle general manager admitted that the timing of the team’s coaching search may make it challenging to pluck someone from college.
“I’m not sure yet. We haven’t decided that [if search will include college coaches],” Schneider noted in January 16 press conference. “It’s wide open still. There’s so much movement in college football already.
“… So you think about how far along they are in their process, it makes it slightly more difficult for those individuals. They have to balance the fact of leaving these young men that they’ve recruited.”
Seahawks Rumors: Seattle Has an Interest in Interviewing Former Titans Head Coach Mike Vrabel
Seattle has already requested interviews with several current NFL assistant coaches. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Seahawks also have an interest in former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
“Former Titans’ HC Mike Vrabel is interviewing today with the Los Angeles Chargers, as @TomPelissero reported,” Schefter detailed in a January 18 message on X. “The Falcons and Seahawks also are interested in talking and meeting with Vrabel, per sources.”
Time will tell if the Seahawks get creative by pursuing college coaches like Riley and Jim Harbaugh. For now, Seattle has mostly been linked to current and former NFL coaches.
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$110 Million Coach a Sleeper to Take Seahawks Job, Says Ex-Seattle QB