What Is the Biggest Challenge Seahawks OC Brian Fleury Faces in 2026?

The Seattle Seahawks entered the 2025 season with a new offensive coordinator, as Klint Kubiak had just been hired after spending the 2024 season with the New Orleans Saints. Kubiak was able to help Seattle win the Super Bowl, and did an exceptional job working with quarterback Sam Darnold.

His performance was enough that it led to Kubiak being signed by the Las Vegas Raiders as their head coach this offseason, meaning Seattle will turn to a new offensive coordinator once again. This time, it's Brian Fleury who has been working with Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers since 2019 in various roles.

Fleury was most recently the run game coordinator and tight ends coach for San Francisco, and takes over an offense that just hoisted the Lombardi trophy. While that could be a blessing, it also means that Fleury will face plenty of pressure to keep things moving forward. He also will have one major challenge to face, which was recently identified by Mike Jones of The Athletic.

What will be Brian Fleury's biggest obstacle in 2026?

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold and offensive coordinator Brian Fleury during minicamp. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jones simply asked if Fleury can ensure that Sam Darnold and the Seattle offense can have a seamless transition. Jones does think that Fleury's ties to Shanahan, which Kubiak had as well, could be the key to keeping things running well.

"Seattle coach Mike Macdonald hired former San Francisco 49ers tight ends coach Fleury as offensive coordinator, hoping that familiarity will serve Darnold and his teammates well," Jones wrote. "Fleury, like Kubiak, is a Shanahan disciple and was on San Francisco’s staff when Darnold played there as a backup to Brock Purdy. The strong similarities in philosophies could help save the Seahawks from starting over completely on offense."

Darnold has been one of the winningest quarterbacks in the NFL over the past two seasons, but continues to be questioned by outsiders. Fleury's job will be to make sure that he's comfortable in running the offense, and a big part of that will be putting together a strong running game.

Seattle lost Kenneth Walker in free agency, but the addition of Jadarian Price should help ease that loss. Fleury is also known for being able to put together great running schemes, which should help them maximize the talent they have on their roster. The better the ground game is, the less pressure will be on Darnold, which will help increase their probability of finding success.

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