Two Seahawks Coaches Earning HC Consideration

It only took two years for Mike Macdonald to go from being the youngest head coach in the league to a Super Bowl champion with the Seattle Seahawks.

Macdonald didn't do it alone, as he had a strong group of assistant coaches rallying behind him every step of the way. The Athletic insider Jordan Rodrigue spoke with many executives and high-ranking people at the NFL League Meetings and learned that people view defensive coordinator Aden Durde and defensive backs coach/passing game coordinator Karl Scott as potential head coaching candidates for 2027 and beyond.

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Aden Durde

Macdonald may be the architect behind the "Dark Side" defense, but Durde is the executioner.

Durde, 46, would become the first British NFL coach if he is hired soon, but he has a ton of experience in the NFL spanning over a decade. He started off as an intern with the Dallas Cowboys for two seasons before joining the Atlanta Falcons in 2016.

After taking 2017 off, Durde became a defensive quality control coach under Dan Quinn with the Falcons. He was promoted to the outside linebacker coach in 2020 before following him to be the defensive line coach for the Cowboys for three seasons with Quinn as the defensive coordinator.

When Quinn was hired by the Washington Commanders to be their head coach, Durde found a new opportunity to be a defensive coordinator with the Seahawks under Macdonald.

Wild Durde has a different path compared to any NFL head coach prospect, his work with Macdonald and the Seahawks defense is what truly stands out and it could be what lands him his big-time promotion. If the Seahawks are the No. 1 defense in the NFL for a second straight year, it could be time for Durde to take over the reins of a football team in need of some change.

Karl Scott

Scott is also someone on radars for the coaching carousel. He began his coaching career in college at Delta State in 2007 as a graduate assistant and worked his way up the college football ranks. He spent time at Tusculum College, Southeastern Louisiana, and Louisiana Tech before reaching the power conferences in 2016 as the Texas Tech Red Raiders' defensive backs coach.

After two seasons in Lubbock, Scott moved to Tuscaloosa to be the defensive backs coach under head coach Nick Saban for three years.

In 2021, Scott jumped to the NFL and joined the Minnesota Vikings' coaching staff before moving to the Pacific Northwest the following year. Scott is going into his fifth season with the Seahawks, and he is continuing to gain experience.

Anyone on Macdonald's defensive coaching staff should be viewed in a positive light, but Scott stands out due to his ability to get the most out of his defensive backs, which are viewed as one of Seattle's biggest strengths.

Scott may also be in line for some defensive coordinator positions after the season, but if Durde were to be hired as a head coach, he may be next in line for Seattle's defensive coordinator role.

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