Good news: Seattle Seahawks players have nominated a star player among their team players as their new head coach in the next two to three days.

Good news: Seattle Seahawks players have nominated a star player among their team players as their new head coach in the next two to three days.

Good news: Over the next two to three days, Seattle Seahawks players will choose a standout member of their team to serve as their next head coach.

The Seattle Seahawks should be happy with the way dominoes have fallen thus far in relation to other coaching vacancies as they continue their second wave of head coach interviews with Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn on Thursday.

Though he never seemed to be really on the radar for a return to the Pacific Northwest, Seattle might have been interested in talking with former assistant Dave Canales, who is rumored to take over as head coach at Carolina. Neither was Jim Harbaugh, the longtime NFC West arch rival who joined the Los Angeles Chargers coaching staff on Wednesday.

For chair Jody Allen and general manager John Schneider, what does that mean? There is no shortage of excellent candidates for the Seahawks to pursue and a little more leeway to take their time making the right hire because only the Commanders and Falcons have not yet hired a new head coach after taking their time finding a replacement for Pete Carroll.

While the Seahawks haven’t conducted an interview with Mike Macdonald, as the hunt for Pete Carroll’s replacement continues, the Ravens’ rising defensive coordinator might still be one of their top candidates.
While the Ravens’ emerging defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald hasn’t had an interview with the Seahawks, he might still be one of their top targets as the hunt for Pete Carroll’s replacement progresses.

None of the five rumored candidates Seattle lined up for second interviews—including Quinn, who guided Carroll’s defense in 2013 and 2014 as the club advanced to consecutive Super Bowls—has gotten a job offer from another team. Still available as possible choices are Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, and Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.

Many more applicants who spoke with the Seahawks during their first round of interviews—among them the highly sought-after Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson—have not yet signed the dotted line and taken a coaching position elsewhere. While Johnson is preparing for the NFC Championship Game and cannot be questioned again until January 29, the team may talk with Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik or Dolphins coordinator Frank Smith once more after their teams were eliminated from the playoffs.

During this coaching whirlwind, Seattle has also been connected to former Tennessee head coach Mike Vrabel, who has had interviews with Atlanta and Los Angeles. He is currently on the periphery of possibilities but may resurface as a contender as no formal interview has been documented.

Regarding wild cards, Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald hasn’t been hired by another club, but if the Seahawks want to interview him for their opening, they’ll have to wait. Carroll was fired three days after the regular season ended; hence, the team didn’t have much time to request an interview with him earlier this month.

Schneider and Allen won’t be able to talk with him until Baltimore is eliminated or wins the Super Bowl next month; therefore, January 29 is the earliest they could arrange an interview. It’s unclear from earlier rumors if Seattle is interested in Macdonald or if the team intends to wait to pursue him.

The Seahawks are scheduled to wrap up second interviews by the end of this week, contingent upon how the Ravens and Lions perform on championship weekend. Johnson and/or Macdonald may be the subject of a second meeting. They would have to wait on McDonald’s interview because Johnson is the only one available in a short window if both of those teams make it to the Super Bowl.

Put simply, Schneider and Allen would still be on the big board if Seattle’s coaching search worked like the NFL draft. They are in a prime position to select the best coach from their short list because none of the coaches employed by other teams in the last week were interviewed or even brought up as a potential target of interest. Otherwise, they get to choose from the litter.

Even better news for the Seahawks is that they have already interviewed a number of possible offensive and defensive coordinators who, should they not be hired, would become members of the incoming head coach’s staff.

All eyes will be on the Seahawks to see how long they are prepared to wait things out to pursue Johnson or Macdonald, with just three coaching positions left to fill. Or perhaps Schneider and Allen won’t have to wait any longer because a candidate like Quinn or Morris impresses in second interviews and gets a job offer soon. Or if Vrabel, for example, suddenly reappears and takes the gig.

All of Seattle’s cards are still in play, though, so the following few weeks could be interesting as the team chooses a new-era leader to take Carroll’s place.