The Cautionary Tale of John DeFilippo: What Seahawks Fans Should Remember Before Judging Shane Waldron

DeFilippo was once every Seahawks fan's dream offensive coordinator candidate. But now, he serves as a cautionary tale for those convinced Seattle will fail to convert on its recent reported hiring of Shane Waldron.

The last time the Seahawks were searching for an offensive coordinator, one name quickly became the clubhouse favorite amongst Seahawks fans. John DeFilippo was fresh off a Super Bowl victory as the Eagles' quarterbacks coach, helping Nick Foles play the best football of his career on his way to a championship. He was the perfect coach, at least to some, to help Russell Wilson take his game to the next level.

But instead, the Seahawks tabbed Brian Schottenheimer as their next offensive coordinator, a move universally panned by fans and (some) critics alike. Seattle ultimately made the right decision as Schottenheimer’s offense ranked amongst the top nine teams in scoring in all three of his seasons with the team, including a franchise-record 459 points scored in 2020. But what about DeFilippo—what happened to him? 

You may remember that DeFilippo was hired as the offensive coordinator for the Vikings that offseason. What you may not know, however, is that he survived just 13 weeks under Mike Zimmer. The following month, he was hired by the Jaguars as their play caller. Jacksonville's offense sputtered and finished 26th in points scored despite the surprising developments of quarterback Gardner Minshew and receiver D.J. Chark. Consequently, he was fired after the season. In 2020, he served as the quarterbacks coach for the Chicago Bears, working with Foles and Mitchell Trubisky.

In just three seasons, DeFilippo has gone from the hottest coordinator candidate around to an afterthought in these searches. So much of an afterthought, that his name had not been linked to any of the openings, including Seattle’s, this month. He has had three offensive coordinator jobs in the past six years and he’s never made it longer than one season at any stop. He's simply been unable to recapture the magic of the 2017 Eagles Super Bowl run.

And therein lies the lesson for the Seahawks and their fans: the hottest candidates aren't always the right hires. With it now being reported that Rams passing game coordinator Shane Waldron will be Seattle's next offensive coordinator, you'll see plenty of opinions flood social media channels over the next few months. Some positive, some negative, and some in-between, but all too quick to judge—just as they were on Schottenheimer. 

Whether you preferred Waldron or one of the handful of other candidates linked to the Seahawks, it's impossible to know if they made the right call or not at this point in time. They did in the Schottenheimer-DeFilippo debate, and after carefully and thoroughly assessing their options before landing on Waldron, they believe they've done so again. Now, only time will tell.