Getty Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has been linked to NFL head coaching opportunities.
Seattle Seahawks fans are not the only ones taking notice of the job offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has done. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Schottenheimer recently received a “strong recommendation” by Jed Hughes who the Texans hired to assist with their head coaching search.
“Jed Hughes, hired to assist Houston in its search for a new HC, recently presented Seahawks OC Brian Schottenheimer with a strong recommendation as someone who deserves serious consideration for the Texan’s HC job, per sources,” Schefter noted on Twitter. “Many believe KC OC Eric Bieniemy a strong candidate.”
The Texans, Lions and Falcons are just three of several NFL teams expected to be in the market for a new head coach this offseason. It will be worth watching how Schottenheimer handles the rumors as the Seahawks make their playoff push.
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Carroll Called Schottenheimer an ‘Incredible Candidate’
The Seahawks are the third-highest scoring team this season at 30.2 points per game and sixth in total yards with an average of 387.5 per contest. During his Week 15 press conference, Carroll was asked about the rumors and whether he had talked with Schottenheimer about the Texans’ opening. The Seahawks coach noted the two had not talked about current openings but believes Schottenheimer is an “incredible candidate.”
“I think he’s an incredible candidate,” Carroll said, via Seahawks.com. “I think he’s exactly what owners are looking for. He’s been around, he’s been in charge, he commands the whole team with his leadership. You got great background. I say that because he’s been through our program for enough years, I know that he’s got his philosophy in order, he’s got his approach and how he would do it, because we’ve worked on all that stuff. So he’s ready to go. We haven’t talked about it this time around yet, but we’ve talked about it in the past.”
The Seahawks Plan to Allow Schottenheimer to Interview With Other Teams
Carroll noted that he has a policy that allows assistant coaches to interview for other openings during the season. He explained that he has been on the other side as an assistant who was restricted from talking with teams about an opening.
“There was a time back in the day when I was at Minnesota when I had a chance to get interviewed for another job and we had always been led to think that you could go, if you wanted to go they let you go,” Carroll continued. “Then, I got restricted and didn’t get to go. From that point forward, I always felt like the coaches should have the freedom to go and advance their careers, because they might not get another chance again.”
Carroll believes this is not only the right thing to do for his assistants, but it also helps the team attract the top coaches. The Seattle coach wants to be able to get the best assistants and helping them eventually land a head coaching job works to the team’s advantage in the long run.
“I’ve always liked knowing that other coaches that come to us, know that that’s the case,” Carroll added. “So, when you’re competing for coaches to come to your staff and all, I want them to know that this is a great place, and that the head coach will back them up and support them [to] become everything that they can possibly become.”
Schottenheimer is likely to continue to be mentioned for the Texans’ job along with other openings. We will see if the off-the-field rumors has any impact on the team’s play, but Carroll does not appear to be worried that it will become a distraction.
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