Seahawks Expected to Interview Raiders' Kirby Wilson for Offensive Coordinator Opening

While Kirby doesn't have any prior play calling experience at the NFL level, the long-time assistant has prior ties to coach Pete Carroll dating back to his time with New England and USC and has a strong run game background, which seems to be a priority for Seattle.

One week after parting ways with Brian Schottenheimer, Pete Carroll and the Seahawks continue to cast a wide net in their search for their next offensive coordinator.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Seattle has now contacted Las Vegas Raiders running backs coach Kirby Wilson about the vacancy.

It's not a surprise Wilson has popped up on the Seahawks' radar. The longtime coach has some significant ties to Carroll, serving as his running backs coach for three years in New England and later joining his staff at USC as a wide receivers coach. Wilson has also spent the last two seasons working under former Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable with the Raiders.

Wilson's only coordinating experience actually comes from the defensive side of the ball, running the defenses of Southern Illinois in 1992 and Wyoming from 1993-94. Since 2002, Wilson has consistently been employed as a running backs coach for the Buccaneers, Cardinals (two separate terms), Steelers, Vikings, Browns, and most recently the Raiders.

If the Seahawks are indeed focused on putting more of an emphasis on the run game in 2021 as Carroll has suggested, Wilson's background and familiarity with Carroll certainly bodes well for the 59-year old coach. 

With the Raiders, Wilson has had the opportunity to work with one of the more exciting young running backs in the NFL in Josh Jacobs. Over the last two seasons, the Raiders have been a middle-of-the-pack running team, finishing 14th and 13th in yards per game, respectively.

The Seahawks are clearly being thorough in their hiring process. Since the firing of Schottenheimer last week, the franchise has been linked to a handful of names, including recently fired head coaches Adam Gase, Anthony Lynn, and Doug Pederson. Other names contacted range across varying styles and philosophies, such as Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka, former Chargers offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, and former Chargers quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton. 

Now Wilson can be added to the list, which may continue to grow even further as Seattle appears to be in no rush to make a decision. It would seem we're still a little ways out from their final decision and the eventual hiring will be a strong indicator of what direction the organization plans to go offensively moving forward.