Seahawks assistant projected to land at fragile head coaching vacancy

On Monday, the NFL world was left shocked after Mike Tomlin stepped down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It comes after the Steelers were eliminated in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs on Monday. This leaves the available head coaching spots to nine teams.

The Seattle Seahawks have two assistants in offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and defensive coordinator Aden Durde, who are some of the most sought-after assistants for head coaches. They have interviewed for several teams, with some having the potential to be playoff contenders within a year.

ESPN analyst Dan Graziano projected the next head coaches for the nine teams that have current openings. In his projections, he has Kubiak taking the head coaching position for the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cardinals won’t be in serious contention for some of the best candidates, like Super Bowl-winning head coach John Harbaugh and former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski. They will be lucky enough to be in contention for some of the best assistant coaches, considering the Cardinals’ difficult path to success and their recent track record.

Arizona is in one of the toughest divisions in the league, the NFC West. The rest of the three teams in the Seahawks (14-3), the Los Angeles Rams (12-5), and the San Francisco 49ers (12-5) are all in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. All three of these teams also have wide-open Super Bowl windows.

The Cardinals, on the other hand, have had three disastrous seasons with Jonathan Gannon as head coach. Gannon accumulated an overall record of 15-36, including a 3-14 record to end this season. He was previously a stellar defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021 and 2022.

Klint Kubiak evaluating his offense while he was with the New Orleans Saints in 2024. — Aug 25, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak during the warmups before the game against the Tennessee Titans at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

KuKubiak could be in line to be a head coach after one season in Seattle. Kubiak choosing a team like the Cardinals or the Las Vegas Raiders, who have shown to be dysfunctional, would be a disaster for a potential first-time head coach. There are a lot of problems on the roster for an inexperienced head coach to solve, including the potential breakup between the team and quarterback Kyler Murray.

The Cardinals finished the regular season ranked 23rd in the league in points per game (20.9) and 29th in points allowed per game (28.7). They finished with the fourth-worst point differential in the league at -133, only finishing better than the Raiders, the New York Jets, and the Tennessee Titans.

If Kubiak were to take the Cardinals’ head coaching job, he would have to convince a defensive genius, not just a good defensive coordinator, to completely reinvent the defense.

There are some benefits to the Cardinals’ job if he manages to develop some success early. These benefits include the dangerous weapons the quarterback would have, including wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and tight end Trey McBride, as well as having Paris Johnson Jr. as a reliable offensive tackle.

Overall, this franchise will soon have its fifth head coach since 2017 and only seven playoff wins. Turning things around requires a special coach, but the front office hasn’t shown patience with coaches or built a consistent roster. If the Seahawks lose Kubiak, it would be regrettable to see him depart after just a few years as head coach.

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