A Dark Horse Seahawks Offensive Coordinator Candidate is Coaching This Weekend

Taking inventory of all the potential candidates the Seahawks have been linked to for their offensive coordinator opening, there are certainly plenty of options to choose from. But perhaps the ideal choice has yet to come to light.

The talk surrounding the Seahawks for the past week and a half is who the team will name as their next offensive coordinator after the surprising departure of Brian Schottenheimer. Plenty of names have been thrown around and candidates like Raiders running backs coach Kirby Wilson have already been interviewed. But one potential dark horse candidate could still be working this weekend. Let's talk about Luke Getsy.

The Seahawks are reportedly interested in interviewing Saints quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi, who has spent the past five seasons coaching Russell Wilson's idol Drew Brees. If the Seahawks are looking for a quarterback-centric offensive coordinator, Packers quarterback coach and passing game coordinator Luke Getsy could fit the bill. 

At 36 years old, Getsy would bring some youth to the Seahawks' coaching staff as well as an interesting background. He received a scholarship to play quarterback at Pittsburgh before transferring to the University of Akron his sophomore season. He would eventually lead Akron to its first-ever conference championship and bowl game victory in 2005. Getsy got a brief taste of the NFL in the 2007 preseason with the 49ers before beginning his coaching career.

Getsy has since served as the offensive coordinator at Indiana University of Pennsylvania from 2011-2012 and receivers coach for Western Michigan in 2013. After, he joined Mike McCarthy's staff as an offensive quality control coach in 2014-2015 before being promoted to receivers coach in 2016, helping Jordy Nelson win the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award and orchestrate the breakout season of young wideout Davante Adams. 

Getsy became Mississippi State's offensive coordinator in 2018 before returning to Green Bay as a member of Matt LaFleur's staff, this time being trusted to coach future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Finally, in 2020, he was given the title of quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator. Like Lombardi and Wilson, Getsy has limited experience calling plays, but the energetic coach has an impressive résumé thus far. 

Getsy is going to be an offensive coordinator at some point and it's unlikely to be with Green Bay as he sits behind a young LaFleur and Nathaniel Hackett in the pecking order. If Getsy brings a similar offense to Seattle, he should bring more balance to the unit as, despite Rodgers' MVP caliber season, Green Bay featured a 55-45 percent pass to run mix, much closer to Pete Carroll's comfort level than the 63-37 split employed by Seattle this season.

Seeing the success of Rodgers in this offense could be appealing to Russell Wilson, who has made no secret that he wants to win MVPs and be more dynamic through the air. It is possible that the Seahawks can get a coordinator who can satisfy Carroll's desire for balance while also giving Wilson the dynamic type of offense he is seeking.

Of course, it isn't as simple as just transferring one offensive scheme to a brand-new situation. Nor does proximity to greatness make one great. But Getsy appears to check a lot of boxes for both sides and, if the Seahawks want to bring in a Kirby Wilson as the run game coordinator, it may not be a deal-breaker to also court a young, up-and-coming coach to pair with him.