Three Replacements For Pete Carroll as Seahawks Head Coach

Yesterday we got hit with the first true stunner of the young NFL offseason when the Tennessee Titans fired Mike Vrabel. Today we got hit with another, similarly surprising report as Adam Schefter came out of nowhere to tell us that Pete Carroll will no longer be on the Seattle Seahawks' sideline. He was not fired, nor is he retiring, but he won't be the head coach for the Seahawks next year.

It will be fascinating to learn how this came to be, but in the meantime the Seahawks have some figuring out to do. They are without a head coach for the first time since 2010, and it's a tough time to get into the head coach hunting business because there is a lot of competition. Along with the Seahawks and Titans, the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, and Washington Commanders are all in need of a new HC. The New England Patriots may join that grouping in short order.

The Seahawks will have to move quick to get their guy. So who might be tasked with replacing Carroll in Seattle? Here are a few possibilities.

Dan Quinn

The Seahawks were linked to Quinn in tandem with the news that Carroll was done and it makes a lot of sense. Quinn rose to fame as the defensive coordinator behind the Legion of Boom and has head coaching experience, leading the Atlanta Falcons to their second Super Bowl appearance. Of course, that means Quinn is also the only guy in history to blow a 25-point lead in the Super Bowl. He's been rebuilding his stock as the defensive coordinator in Dallas and seems ready to take the top seat again after interviewing for multiple openings last offseason. Given ownership's familiarity and the similarities Quinn has in terms of defensive background with Carroll, he should be considered the front runner by a large margin.

Mike Vrabel

Despite the advantages Quinn possesses, the Seahawks would be remiss to not look at Vrabel. He's the top coaching candidate on the market as it currently stands, a tone-setter coach who got fired because he lost a power struggle rather than any real failure of his coaching. Sure, Vrabel isn't perfect; the defense struggled under his tutelage at times and his team appeared lost offensively once Arthur Smith was hired away. He still boasts the best resume of any coach available and his phone will be ringing constantly until he gets hired again. Seattle will be one of those teams on the phone, guaranteed.

Aaron Glenn

One of the more minor surprises of this coaching cycle is that Aaron Glenn is a popular man. Everyone knew the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, would be getting numerous interview requests-- and he has. But Glenn has three interviews currently lined up with the Chargers, Titans, and Commanders. Glenn has not been particularly effective as Detroit's defensive coordinators but they have made small strides this season. More importantly, his players apparently love him. Glenn was ranked one of the five best coordinators across the entire league in an anonymous poll from the NFLPA. A players' coach with a history of coaching defensive backs? Sure sounds a lot like Carroll. There are more differences than similarities (obviously) but it's easy to see the appeal from Seattle's side. They'll likely be giving him a call.