Is Klint Kubiak Best Option For Seahawks' Offensive Coordinator Job?

From pedigree to scheme, Klint Kubiak looks like a great option for Mike Macdonald and the Seahawks, but other factors have to be considered as well.

Sep 8, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak reacts against the Carolina Panthers during the pregame at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Continuing their search for a second offensive coordinator in as many offseasons after dismissing Ryan Grubb, the Seattle Seahawks reportedly will meet with long-time NFL assistant Klint Kubiak on Tuesday as their third interview thus far.

Compared to Lions offensive coordinator Hank Fraley and Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown, the other two candidates who previously spoke with the Seahawks about the vacancy, Kubiak has more noteworthy experience as a play caller. Last season, he served as the coordinator for the Saints, and he previously called plays for the Vikings in 2021, while neither Fraley nor Brown has been an offensive coordinator in the NFL beyond an interim basis.

Does that prior on-the-job training make Kubiak the favorite to succeed Grubb in the Pacific Northwest? And does he represent the best fit to build the complementary, physical offense coach Mike Macdonald desires?

While Macdonald indicated prior play calling experience wouldn't be a prerequisite for the coordinator role in Seattle, the team just swung and missed on Grubb, who had never coached in the NFL prior to signing on with the Seahawks last February. That failure may make the coach and general manager John Schneider pause at the idea of doing the same thing again, though Fraley and Brown have each been coaching in the league for at least five seasons.

Keeping that in mind, Kubiak's tenures in Minnesota and New Orleans coupled with his prior background learning from his father Gary Kubiak in Denver and San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan as an assistant in numerous different roles undoubtedly bolsters his candidacy. His past track record working with quarterbacks should also up the intrigue for Macdonald and Schneider.

After three seasons as an assistant with the Broncos, Kubiak took over as the Vikings quarterback coach in 2019, and veteran Kirk Cousins had one of the best seasons of his career, throwing 26 touchdowns compared to eight interceptions as the team advanced to the Divisional Round of the postseason. Though the team regressed in 2020 with Kubiak's father as the offensive coordinator, the signal caller tossed a career-high 35 touchdowns leading the fourth-best offense in terms of yardage.

With this success, then-coach Mike Zimmer elevated Klint Kubiak to offensive coordinator in 2021. Under the young coach's direction, Cousins nearly hit his career-high for touchdowns again, finishing ninth in the NFL with 33 of them. But Minnesota finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs, leading to the entire coaching staff getting the boot.

Over the next two seasons, Kubiak worked as a pass game coordinator for the Broncos and 49ers, helping Brock Purdy throw for 31 touchdowns and lead the league in passer rating (113.0), yards per attempt (9.6), and touchdown rate (seven percent) in 2023.

Restoring his shine as one of the top young assistants in the NFL, he took over as the Saints offensive coordinator this season, and before injuries struck, the offense was putting points on the board in bunches. New Orleans exceeded 40 points in each of the first two games, only to see receivers and linemen start dropping like flies amid an ensuing seven-game losing streak.

By December, Kubiak not only was missing key receivers such as Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed along with tackle Ryan Ramczyk among others, but quarterback Derek Carr went down with a season-ending left hand fracture. Down to second and third stringers at nearly every position with a rookie quarterback in Spencer Rattler under center, the Saints wound up ending the season ranking 24th in scoring offense with the coordinator's hands tied behind his back.

Circumstances matter when evaluating coaches and Kubiak was dealt an impossible situation with New Orleans' offense turning into an M.A.S.H. unit. Through it all, he somehow was able to coordinate a respectable 14th-ranked run game with star tailback Alvin Kamara narrowly missing out on the 1,000-yard mark when he missed the last three games with his own injury.

Aside from seeing what Kubiak could do when he had a full deck at his disposal before a rash of injuries hit early in the season, Macdonald may be enamored by his scheme, which stacks up favorably to the likes of the Ravens, Lions, and Eagles. The Saints ran 12 personnel with multiple tight ends at a 30 percent rate and deployed two-back 21 personnel 16 percent of the time, joining the Ravens as the only team in the top six in both groupings.

New Orleans also finished ninth in the NFL in yardage coming off of play action passes, dialing up play action on 20 percent of their pass attempts in 2024, nearly six percent higher than Seattle did with Grubb calling the shots.

Employing a pro style scheme with obvious ties to the Shanahan system, Kubiak would check off many of the boxes Macdonald wants from his coordinator, as he has a proven track record of building efficient run games and explosive passing attacks that create problems for opponents dealing with receivers in space when he has the right personnel to do so. Having previously coached in Denver and San Francisco, he could be trusted with the autonomy Macdonald covets from a play caller as well.

As an added bonus, Kubiak has youth on his side, as he's still just 37 years old despite coaching 11 seasons already in the NFL. Coming from a football family, the sport is in his blood and he and Macdonald have been cut from the same cloth in terms of football intellect.

With all those factors in consideration, it wouldn't be a surprise at all if Kubiak impresses in his interview and the Seahawks move quickly to hire him as Grubb's replacement, setting in motion other important decisions that need to be made such as Geno Smith's future and other contractual obligations over the next few months. As the first domino to fall, Kubiak would have some input on those discussions.

But at the same time, Macdonald and Schneider want to make sure they nail this selection, and if they aren't fully sold on a coordinator who has never led a top-10 scoring offense in the past or have any reservations about fit, the search will continue with several more candidates pursued.

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