Seahawks to Hire Charles London; How Can Coach Help Geno Smith - And Next QB?
Continuing to fill out Mike Macdonald's first coaching staff, the Seattle Seahawks look to have a new quarterbacks coach to work with Geno Smith.
According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Seahawks are expected to hire long-time NFL assistant Charles London as their new quarterbacks coach, pairing him with offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and pass game coordinator Jake Peetz. The 48-year old most recently coached signal callers with the Titans and also served as the pass game coordinator in 2023.
Since transitioning to quarterback coach in Atlanta in 2020, Charles London has done stellar work with veterans and rookie signal callers alike, including coaching up Will Levis in Tennessee last season.
Previously playing running back at Duke, London jumped right into coaching after his playing career ended, starting as a graduate assistant with the Blue Devils in 2004. Within three years, the Bears hired him as an offensive quality control coach, a position he held for three seasons on Lovie Smith's staff.
Following a one-year hiatus from coaching as a scout for the Eagles, London returned to the sidelines as an offensive assistant for the Titans before spending two seasons with Penn State as a running backs coach. Jumping back to the league with coach Bill O'Brien in 2014, he coached running backs with the Texans for four seasons and then went back to the Bears to take the same position from 2018 to 2020.
Transitioning to coaching quarterbacks with the Falcons in 2020, London worked on current Commanders coach Dan Quinn's staff that season before being kept by incoming coach Arthur Smith. Last season, he joined Mike Vrabel's staff for a second stint in Tennessee, overseeing the development of rookie quarterback Will Levis, who threw eight touchdowns in nine starts after being selected in the second round out of Kentucky.
As has been the theme for Macdonald's hiring process thus far, London brings vast experience coaching multiple positions along with his offensive quality control coach and pass game coordinator backgrounds, making him an ideal candidate to add to a staff with a first-time head coach and offensive coordinator. Learning under several quality head coaches in the NFL and college ranks, this could be his next stepping stone towards a play calling gig of his own.
Replacing Greg Olsen as the Seahawks quarterbacks coach, London's previous experiences working with veterans such as Matt Ryan and Ryan Tannehill should serve him well coaching Smith, who likely will be the starter once again after his base salary became guaranteed on Friday. After doing a stellar job with Levis and Desmond Ridder in the past two years as rookies, his presence could also be a major asset if the team decides to draft a quarterback of the future in April.
While a few positions remain left to fill, Macdonald has now assembled most of his offensive staff with the NFL combine coming up in less than two weeks. Aside from Grubb, London, and offensive line coach Scott Huff, Seattle reportedly has hired Peetz as pass game coordinator, Kennedy Polamalu as running backs coach, and Frisman Jackson as receivers coach, putting together an intriguing group blending several experienced and first-time coaches together.
