Report: Seahawks Interviewed Super Bowl Winning Coordinator

Continuing to cast a wide net pursuing a replacement for Ryan Grubb, the Seattle Seahawks now are kicking the tires on a Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator for the same vacancy.
According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Seahawks recently interviewed former Buccaneers play caller and NFL quarterback Byron Leftwich, making him the fifth reported candidate linked to the team as a potential successor to Grubb. The Washington, D.C. native has been out of coaching since the conclusion of the 2022 season.
Formerly a first-round pick for the Jaguars in 2003, Leftwich played nine seasons in the NFL with four different teams, throwing for 10,532 yards with 58 touchdowns and 42 interceptions while posting a 24-26 record as a starter. His best season came in 2005 when he tossed 15 touchdowns and only five interceptions as Jacksonville went 8-3 in his 11 starts and finished with a sterling 12-4 record.
After retiring in 2013, Leftwich eventually jumped into coaching working in Arizona under coach Bruce Arians, who had been his offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh during the latter stages of his playing career. He remained on staff after Arians retired and new coach Steve Wilks vaulted him into the offensive coordinator position at midseason in 2018, only to be fired along with the rest of the staff at the conclusion of the season.
A few weeks later, with Arians coming out of retirement to coach the Buccaneers, Leftwich reunited with him as the team's new offensive coordinator. Two years later, with legendary quarterback Tom Brady coming to Tampa Bay in free agency and immediately transforming the Buccaneers into a contender, the franchise captured a second Super Bowl title on the strength of its third-ranked scoring offense.
With Leftwich at the wheel and Brady under center, Tampa Bay scored north of 30 points per game in 2021, returning to the playoffs with a 13-4 record and aiming to hoist the Lombardi Trophy once again. But the Buccaneers fell short with the Rams beating them 30-27 in the Divisional Round and the offense unraveled the following season, plunging down to 25th in scoring offense in Brady's final season before hanging up his cleats.
In the aftermath of a disappointing 8-9 season, Tampa Bay fired Leftwich and replaced him with long-time Seattle assistant Dave Canales. Since then, the ex-Marshall quarterback has remained without a job during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, waiting for another shot as a coordinator.
As for his viability as an option for the Seahawks, Leftwich has coordinated three top-five scoring offenses, including the Buccaneers scoring 28.1 points per game in 2019 with Jameis Winston as their starting quarterback for a seven-win team. This proved that he could engineer an explosive offense without Brady under center, creating a potentially strong fit with current starter Geno Smith in the Pacific Northwest.
However, coach Mike Macdonald has emphasized the need for a complementary offense after Seattle finished 28th in rushing yards last season, and Leftwich doesn't have an inspiring track record when it comes to building a quality run game. In his four seasons at the helm in Tampa Bay, the team never finished better than 15th in rushing yards, including ranking dead last at the end of the 2022 campaign that led to his dismissal.
Now closing in the start of week three of their search for a new coordinator, the Seahawks have already scheduled second interviews with Saints play caller Klint Kubiak and Vikings assistant quarterback coach Grant Udinski. Time will tell whether Leftwich impressed enough in his first meeting with team brass to warrant a second interview as well.
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